How would you price the life of a child? How would you assess its worth? It seems impossible to do, right?
For the doctor who prescribed the cough syrup to most of the 23 children who died after having it in Madhya Pradesh, however, the answer was simple, and abysmally low: Rs 2.54. That was the amount he would get as 10% commission for every bottle of Sresan Pharmaceuticals’ Coldrif cough syrup – sold for Rs 24.54 – that he prescribed.
Police allege that Dr Praveen Soni, a paediatrician posted at Parasia’s government health centre, continued to prescribe the now-banned Coldrif syrup from his private practice after central government guidelines prohibited prescribing fixed-dose combination (FDC) medicines for children under four years of age.
The syrup, manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals, a Tamil Nadu-based company, allegedly contained toxic diethylene glycol – a chemical known to cause kidney failure – far beyond permissible limits. Investigators say Dr Soni prescribed Coldrif repeatedly despite knowing its risks, and that most of the 23 children who died in Madhya Pradesh had been prescribed the syrup by him.
Both Dr Soni and Sresan Pharmaceuticals’ owner, Ranganathan, are now in police custody. The Tamil Nadu government has ordered the company to shut down, and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has raided its premises.
According to police reports submitted in court, Dr Soni allegedly confessed to receiving the commission, but his lawyer, Pawan Shukla, called the confession “fabricated and legally worthless.” “The police had to complete a story. There is no direct evidence against Dr Soni,” Shukla said. “They fabricated this narrative and extracted a memorandum that has no evidentiary value. The 10% commission claim is false.”
NDTV had also, earlier, unearthed a murky trail leading to the doctor’s family. Police had said the medicines prescribed by Dr Soni were sold through drug stores owned by his wife and nephew.
“Except for Dr Soni, no other arrests or remand have been made, but the investigation is wide open. Action will be taken as evidence emerges.”
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) had issued clear nationwide instructions on December 18, 2023, warning all states and Union Territories not to prescribe FDC drugs to children under four. Yet, according to the police report, Dr Soni prescribed the syrup and continued doing so even after reports showed it caused urinary retention and kidney failure in children.
Several of his patients were referred from Parasia to Nagpur, where they died between September and October.
Pharma-Doctor Nexus
This isn’t the first time Madhya Pradesh’s medical establishment has been under the scanner. Ten years ago, a complaint reached the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council that 20 prominent doctors from 14 districts had taken luxury trips to Italy with their families. The trips were allegedly sponsored by a pharma company and, in return, they prescribed the company’s medicines.
Between 2008 and 2011, several government doctors were also accused of conducting illegal drug trials on patients without consent. Despite clear provisions under the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices, no meaningful action was taken against the pharma company or doctors.