Girl, 12, in China dies after taking 7 medications for cough & cold prescribed by pharmacy without licensed pharmacist

A 12-year-old girl in China's Jilin Province died after taking seven different medications prescribed to her for a cough and cold by a pharmacy that was reportedly operating without a licensed pharmacist on duty.

Citing local Chinese media, Sin Chew Daily reported that the store's manager is also suspected of carrying out unauthorised medical activities.

The pharmacy now faces fines totalling RMB280,000 (about S$53,400).

What happened

According to Sin Chew Daily, the incident took place on May 1.

The girl, identified as Lu Jiaqi (transliteration), collapsed after taking the third dose of the medication that morning.

She reportedly stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest, and later passed away despite resuscitation attempts.

According to her older sister, after Lu developed cough and cold symptoms, their mother visited a nearby pharmacy to buy medication.

As the pharmacy's manager was away at the time, Lu's mother described her daughter's symptoms to him over the phone.

She was then given seven different medications that had reportedly been prepared by him, including licorice slices, prednisone and anti-inflammatory tablets.

The medications had been repackaged into individual packets and were sold without labels indicating their names, dosages, contraindications or expiry dates.

When Lu's mother left the pharmacy, she bumped into the manager, surnamed Xu, who was returning to the store.

Xu reportedly assured her that there was nothing wrong with the medications.

Initial medical reports

A presumptive death certificate issued by the hospital listed the cause of death as a heart attack, Sin Chew Daily reported.

A forensic report later found that Lu had died from acute heart failure caused by myocardial noncompaction cardiomyopathy, a rare congenital heart condition resulting from abnormal heart muscle development.

Although the forensic pathologist said the condition would have been difficult to detect clinically without an autopsy, the report stated that respiratory infection and the medications taken were contributing factors in her death.

It added that the cough suppressant she had taken was among the medications identified as contributing to the fatal outcome.

Case sparked public concern

The case sparked public concern over the pharmacy's decision to recommend seven different medications for a 12-year-old based solely on a telephone description of her symptoms, as well as whether dispensing the drugs in adult dosages met professional standards.

As reported in Sin Chew Daily, local market regulators said the pharmacy's pharmacist registration had expired in January 2026 and that the business was operating without a licensed pharmacist at the time of the incident.

The local health bureau also found that the pharmacy's manager had previously carried out unauthorised medical activities.

The pharmacy now faces a fine of RMB230,000 (about S$43,945) for operating without a licensed pharmacist, as well as a fine of RMB50,000 (about S$9,553) for conducting unauthorised medical activities.

Police said investigations are ongoing and that the health authorities have yet to determine the final cause of the incident.

Lu's family has also said it has not ruled out pursuing legal action.