What is Diethylene Glycol (DEG)?

Diethylene Glycol (DEG):

Why in News? The Union Health Ministry instructed for strict compliance to the changed Schedule M compliance (Good Manufacturing Practices – GMP) for medicinal products.
• After diethylene glycol (DEG) was identified in Coldrif cough syrup samples in Tamil Nadu.
• The Ministry warned that drug unit licenses would be cancelled.

What is Diethylene Glycol (DEG)?
• A colorless, odorless, hygroscopic liquid.
• Chemical formula – C₄H₁₀O₃.
• Found in antifreeze, brake fluids, as a lubricant. Or use as an industrial solvent facing certain limitations.
• DEG is not designed for human consumption.

Why is DEG dangerous in medicines?
• DEG is sometimes drunk as a cheap substitute for pharmaceutical-grade glycerin or propylene glycol (cosolvent in syrups).
• Even small amounts of DEG are toxic to humans.

Health Hazards:
• Symptomatic acute poisoning:
• Vomiting, abdominal pain, headache.
• Neurological damage (confusion, hallucinations, seizures).
• Kidney failure and multi-organ damage.
• DEG poisoning has resulted in children deaths in multiple cough syrup cases worldwide.

Noteworthy Events:
• USA (1937) – The Elixir Sulfanilamide: over 100 deaths, changed the way the U.S. produced medicines (Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 1938).
• India (1972, Maharashtra); 1986 (Jammu); 1998 (Delhi); 2020 (U.P.).
• Recent (2022-23) cough syrups from India, poisoning children around the world.