Menthol

New Delhi: The Rajasthan government has said claims of a 5-year-old child’s death allegedly caused due to a cough syrup is inconsistent with facts and a drug test to confirm the root cause of the tragedy is awaited. The cough syrup allegedly linked to the death of the child in Rajasthan’s Sikar district was neither prescribed by the attending doctor nor supplied to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in the district, a senior state health ministry official involved in the investigation told ETPharma. “Based on the initial probing we found that the cough syrup identified as Dextromethorphan linked with the death of a child was neither prescribed by the doctor and nor the medicine has been supplied to the Jhunjhunu district,” said the senior state government official on grounds of anonymity. Additionally, the child and his family members did not visit the Community Health Centre (CHC) on September 26, the date on which he is reported to have received and consumed the syrup, the official added. Earlier this week multiple reports outlined that, a child identified as Nityansh Sharma from Sikar district fell ill and subsequently died after consuming Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide syrup obtained from Chirana Community Health Centre (CHC) under the state's free medicine scheme "Mukhyamantri Nishulk Dava Yojana.” A day after the incident another three-year-old child in the state’s Bharatpur district is reported to have experienced similar complications after allegedly consuming the same syrup. However, according to the official, under the state government’s free medicine scheme the Dextromethorphan syrup is “not supplied to Jhunjhunu district” so the claim of obtaining the medicine from there is not consistent with facts. Bharatpur and Sikar are part of Jaipur Division, while Chirana is a village situated in Nawalgarh Tehsil of Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan. Soon after the incident came to light, State Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar ordered a probe to investigate the safety of medicine. Without disclosing the medicines prescribed to the deceased, the official quoted above said, “the child visited a doctor on September 22 and the prescription does not include Dextromethorphan.” The official said that the medicine was supplied to “several districts.” However, the case is linked to a particular batch, samples of which have been collected and sent to the state drug testing laboratory for analysis. According to the official, certain side effects of Dextromethorphan, such as dizziness and vomiting, are common and may be aggravated in cases of overdose or when taken alongside multiple medicines. “In this case (Nityansh), we cannot confirm that the death was caused by the cough syrup, as the family did not allow a post-mortem examination and before arriving on any conclusion here we are awaiting for the drug test report,” he said. Meanwhile as a precautionary measure, the supply and distribution of “all other batches of the drug have been halted across the state," it added. To expedite the investigation, the official stated that the laboratory test, which usually takes “8-10 days’, has been fast-tracked, and the report is expected by “tomorrow”, i.e. October 2, 2025 Calls made by ETPharma to Rajasthan State Drug regulatory officials remained unanswered. The state government has constituted a three-member committee to assess the test findings and decide on subsequent measures. Regarding any punitive action against the cough syrup manufacturer, Kayson Pharma, the official said that state authorities are preparing a notice to be sent to the company. However, any “strict action” will be taken only after the test report is received. While the official refrained from commenting on the purported manufacturing concerns related to the matter it explained that, “the procurement for the state’s free medicine scheme is overseen by the Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation Limited (RMSC) and all drug batches undergo quality testing in NABL-certified labs before being supplied for distribution to various CHCs.” Notably, in June 2023 the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) had banned several Fixed-Dose Combinations (FDC) of Dextromethorphan citing "safety and quality concerns" with the drugs. The list includes several FDC combinations marketed as a syrup for cough such as Bromhexine + Dextromethorphan + Ammonium Chloride + Menthol; Dextromethorphan + Chlorpheniramine + Guaiphenesin + Ammonium Chloride, among several others. The drug linked with the case in Rajasthan involves a single ingredient: "Dextromethorphan." By Abhijeet Singh ,

New Delhi: Nectar Lifesciences Ltd on Tuesday said it will sell its active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulation along with menthol business assets to Ceph Lifesciences Pvt Ltd, for Rs 1,290 crore. The company has signed a definitive Business Transfer Agreement (BTA) for the sale of its core business division, comprising the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and formulations to Ceph Lifesciences for Rs 1,270 crore on a slump sale basis, Nectar said in a regulatory filing. Additionally, the company has entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (APA) for the sale of its menthol business assets to Ceph Lifesciences for Rs 20 crore, marking a comprehensive restructuring move aligned with its future strategy, it added. "By divesting mature segments of our business, we are laying the foundation for a focused and agile organisation geared towards innovation and long-term value creation," Nectar Lifesciences Promoter and Chairman Sanjiv Goyal said. Nectar Lifesciences said the transaction forms a part of its long-term strategy to streamline operations, strengthen its financial position, and unlock value for shareholders. "The proceeds from the sale will be used to repay existing debt, invest in new and emerging business areas and reward shareholders, subject to applicable approvals," the company said. Besides, the proceeds will also be used to fund future corporate and growth initiatives, it added. The transaction is expected to be completed on or before September 20, 2025, subject to customary approvals, the filing said, adding there would be no change in the company's existing shareholding.