Antiseptic labeled as cough syrup with Tamil Nadu government logo creates flutter

CHENNAI: A bottle of Povidone Iodine, an antiseptic medicine used to prevent and treat minor wounds and skin infections, labelled as ‘cough syrup’ with Tamil Nadu Government logo, went viral on messaging platforms like WhatsApp on Monday.

Apparently, it went viral even in a few doctors’ WhatsApp groups. The doctors alleged it was carelessness on the part of the State Health department. However, immediately after the message went viral, the Health department officials reacted. “Cough syrup terminology is a combination drug. The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation stopped procuring combination drug syrups after the Supreme Court banned combination drugs a couple of years ago. So, only the single drug name is mentioned on a product like ‘Chlorpheniramine cough syrup’ in the government supply syrup,” a Health official added.

However, a pharmacist alleged, “Tamil Nadu still supplies combination cough syrups, that is in combination with Ammonium Chloride, Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Sodium Citrate and Menthol Syrup, labelled as Cough Syrup.”

“This batch in question was supplied to Rajasthan government with misprinting of label. The company says they have taken back the 600 lots of this batch supplied to Rajasthan with the Tamil Nadu government logo,” the official said.

Meanwhile, a recall letter from the pharmaceutical company in question, to Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation, accessed by Express said, “As some labelling mistake appears to have been crept in on the label of ‘Povidone Iodine Solution IP, belonging to batch number 1804026, we are initiating voluntary recall of the same.”

“As per our records, you have received supplies of the suspected batch,” the letter said.