Jodhpur: Rajasthan Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar on Saturday reiterated that the cough syrup allegedly linked to the deaths of three children in the state has been tested and found to be safe.

Speaking at a press conference at the Circuit House in Jodhpur, Khimsar stated, “We got the medicine checked twice — first by our drug controller and then by the Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation Limited (RMSCL). Both test reports found no fault with it.”

The cough syrup in question contains Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide (DXM HBr). According to the minister, preliminary investigations revealed that the medicine had not been prescribed or administered by a doctor in any of the three death cases. He also said that all three children had underlying health conditions and were given the syrup by their parents, without medical advice.

“If we give children the medicine prescribed for adults, it will obviously have harmful effects on them,” Khimsar said, adding that a two-year-old child should not be given such medication.

Addressing the clean chit given to Kaysons Pharma — the manufacturer of the syrup — Khimsar said the clearance was granted based on test reports that showed no contamination or fault. However, he acknowledged that, as a precaution, the health department had suspended the use and distribution of 19 medicines from the company.

He added that a second committee had been formed to re-examine the company’s products and assured that the government remained open to having the medicines tested by any credible source if the public had doubts.

Khimsar noted that since its approval, the syrup had been administered to over 1.33 lakh individuals, including around 14,000 in the past month. “This medicine has been prescribed by doctors at primary health centres, community health centres and district hospitals, and apart from the three cases, no deaths have been reported,” he said.

The minister also addressed concerns about the company’s track record, noting that since 2012, out of 10,119 samples tested from Kaysons Pharma, 42 were found sub-standard. During the COVID-19 pandemic alone, 39 failed samples were from a single medicine, with three others also failing quality checks.