Diethylene glycol (DEG) is an organic compound that is commonly used as an industrial solvent in antifreeze mixtures and brake fluids. But, in India, DEG is ending up with worrying frequency where it should never be – in cough syrups for children. The repeated presence of this toxic substance in medicines has had devastating, fatal consequences in India and abroad, while also bringing the country’s lax drug regulatory set-up under intense scrutiny. In the latest instance of such contamination, at least 22 children have been killed since September in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan after consuming Coldrif,...