Urgent nationwide recall for cough medicine contaminated with deadly bacteria

By EMILY JOSHU STERNE, SENIOR HEALTH REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: 14:36 BST, 19 June 2025 | Updated: 15:57 BST, 19 June 2025

Children’s cough medicine has been recalled for potentially containing deadly bacteria.

New York-based Medtech Products Inc voluntarily recalled five lots of its Little Remedies Honey Cough Syrup because they were found to contain Bacillus cereus, which causes two types of stomach virus: diarrheal and emetic (vomiting).

The former causes stomach cramps and diarrhea that start eight to 16 hours after consuming a contaminated product, while the other leads to nausea, stomach cramps and vomiting within one to six hours.

Though most healthy adults and children recover on their own, exposure to high levels of Bacillus cereus can produce toxins that attack the liver and bloodstream, causing death.

The five contaminated lots were distributed nationwide through various retailers and online from December 14, 2022, through June 4, 2025. The UPC code is 7-56184-10737-9.

The bacteria makes the medicines no longer shelf stable, according to the FDA’s notice.

No illnesses have been reported. 

Scroll down to see all lot numbers and expiration dates.

Five lots of cough syrup have been recalled due to potentially containing the bacteria Bacillus cereus, which strikes 63,000 Americans per year (stock image)

Pictured above is the carton for the recalled cough syrup

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Bacillus cereus, which the FDA says also makes the medicines no longer shelf stable, causes about 63,000 illnesses a year in the US.

However, research suggests it has only killed a handful of people in the last decade, and specific figures are not reported. 

Recalled products

• Lot 0039, expiration date: 11/2025
• Lot 0545, expiration date: 1/2026
• Lot 0640, expiration date: 2/2026
• Lot 0450, expiration date: 5/2026
• Lot 1198, expiration date: 12/2026 

In these rare cases, enterotoxins produced by the bacteria can attack the liver and cause it to fail. 

It may also cause a bloodstream infection that triggers multi-organ failure. 

It spreads to products via soil, food and marine sponges. 

It’s typically found in boiled or fried rice, cooked vegetables and meats, pasta, custards, casseroles, pastries, salads, soups, ice cream, vanilla sauce and herbs and spices, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The contaminated syrup is packaged in a four fluid-ounce amber bottle and sold in an outer carton with the lot code on both the bottle and carton label. 

It’s unclear how many bottles are in each lot. 

Consumers who have purchased the recalled cough syrups should stop using them immediately and contact their doctor if they have any symptoms. 

Medtech will issue refunds to customers who purchased contaminated products.  

Consumers with questions can contact Medtech via email at, through its website or by phone.

And adverse reactions can be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program via its website or by mail or fax. 

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Urgent nationwide recall for cough medicine contaminated with deadly bacteria

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