ALERT ISSUED OVER SUBSTANDARD COUGH SYRUP CONTAINING ETHYLENE GLYCOL

Face2News/Chandigarh,

January 9: Haryana Health Minister Arti Singh Rao has directed Health Department officials to remain vigilant regarding substandard medicines and to take immediate action if any complaint is received about the sale of medicines that do not meet prescribed quality standards.

She has ordered an immediate ban on a batch of the cough syrup “Almont-Kid (Levocetirizine Dihydrochloride and Montelukast Sodium Syrup)” after ethylene glycol (EG) was found in quantities exceeding the permissible limit. 

Issuing directions to release a public interest alert across the State in view of the presence of harmful chemicals in the cough syrup, the Health Minister said that based on official information received from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), Eastern Region, Kolkata, the Haryana Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) found a sample of the medicine to be not of standard quality. 

Arti Singh Rao stated that a batch of “Almont-Kid (Levocetirizine Dihydrochloride and Montelukast Sodium Syrup)” was found to contain ethylene glycol (EG) beyond the prescribed limit, which is extremely harmful to health. Since the medicine is used for children, the risk associated with it is even more serious. 

The Health Minister has issued clear instructions that the sale, distribution, storage, prescription and use of this particular batch of the medicine are completely prohibited with immediate effect. She has directed all chemists, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals and doctors across the State to immediately withdraw the medicine from the market. 

She further instructed the Drugs Control Department to enhance surveillance throughout the State and ensure strict action against anyone found violating the rules. The Health Minister reiterated that the State Government will not compromise in any manner with the health of citizens. 

State Drugs Controller, Haryana Food and Drugs Administration, Sh. Lalit Kumar Goyal, informed that the banned medicine bears batch number AL-24002, with date of manufacture January 2025 and date of expiry December 2026. The medicine is manufactured by M/s Trideus Remedies, Plot No. D-42 and D-43, Phase-II, Industrial Area, Hajipur, Vaishali (Bihar). 

He appealed to the public that if the sale or use of this banned medicine is noticed anywhere, the matter should be immediately reported to the nearest Drugs Control Officer or the FDA, Haryana.