Officials are gathering data based on batch numbers to identify districts that received the syrup so supply can be halted there as well.
Published Oct 18, 2025 | 12:16 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 18, 2025 | 12:16 PM
Representational image. Credit: iStock
Synopsis: Following the deaths of 25 children from contaminated cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh, a woman reported black worm-like particles in Azithromycin syrup at a Gwalior hospital. Authorities recalled 306 bottles, halted distribution, and sent samples for testing. The generic medicine, made by Zenith Drugs Ltd., is under investigation, with strict legal action promised if found substandard.
Days after 25 children died from contaminated cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh, authorities are investigating another medicine safety incident involving an antibiotic prescribed to children at a government hospital in Gwalior.
A woman reported finding black worm-like particles in a bottle of Azithromycin oral suspension given to her child from the government dispensary on 12 October at the District Hospital in Gwalior. The antibiotic is commonly prescribed to children for various infections.
The mother had collected the medicine from the drug distribution center at Morar Maternity Home Hospital. She checked the syrup before giving it to her children and discovered what resembled a black insect floating inside. She immediately rushed to officials with the opened bottle.
According to a letter from the chief medical superintendent sent to higher authorities in Bhopal, the woman arrived “with an open bottle of the medicine with a complaint of some black worm-like particles in the syrup.” A doctor at the hospital confirmed the presence of “one or two black particles but nothing like worms” appeared visible in the bottle, the letter stated.
Drug inspector Anubhuti Sharma responded swiftly to the complaint. “A woman at the government hospital in Morar complained of worms in a bottle of Azithromycin oral suspension,” Sharma said. Although the bottle the woman brought had been opened, the matter received immediate investigation.
The probe team collected syrup samples from the pharmacy and issued on-the-spot orders to halt distribution of the Azithromycin syrup. Authorities recalled all 306 bottles of the medicine that had been distributed and stored at the hospital in Morar. The department also initiated a recall process at distribution centers where the medicine had already been shipped.
The medicine was generic and manufactured by Zenith Drugs Ltd., a Madhya Pradesh-based company located in Indore. Officials confirmed the syrup came from a government store in Bhopal during initial investigations.
District Collector Ruchika Chouhan told reporters that samples of the batch have been sent to Bhopal for testing. “We have prohibited the use of the batch until the reports arrive,” Chouhan said.
A team of pharmaceutical experts traveled from Bhopal on Thursday and examined several bottles but found nothing in other samples. Sharma said a preliminary inspection of some medicine bottles revealed no signs of insects, but stressed that testing remained necessary.
“As a precautionary measure, we have prohibited the use of the medicine until the reports arrive,” an official confirmed.
Some bottles have been sent to a laboratory in Bhopal for testing, and additional samples will go to the Central Drug Laboratory in Kolkata for further examination.
The department has expanded its probe to include several other children’s medicines. Officials are now gathering information based on batch numbers to identify districts that received the syrup so distribution can be halted in those areas as well.
“There will be strict legal action against the concerned company or the supplier if the report reveals any substandard or harmful ingredients,” Sharma confirmed. Hospitals in the area must stop distribution and use of the syrup until the probe concludes.
Officials said that no complaints have been received of any child falling ill due to the medicine.
The cough syrup tragedy that preceded this incident involved children from Chhindwara district who died from suspected renal failure after consuming adulterated Coldrif cough syrup. Laboratory tests revealed the syrup contained high levels of Diethylene Glycol, an industrial-grade contaminant toxic to humans.
The World Health Organisation issued a global alert against three cough syrups—Coldrif, Respifresh TR, and ReLife—manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceutical, Rednex Pharmaceuticals, and Shape Pharma respectively. WHO stated the contaminated oral liquid medicines posed serious safety risks and urged national regulatory authorities worldwide to notify it immediately if they detected these products in their countries.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
