Government makes cough syrup sale strictly prescription-based

The Union Health Ministry has made cough syrup sales prescription-only by removing them from Schedule K under Drugs Rules, 1945. The move follows safety concerns and reports of abuse, aiming to curb misuse and regulate access across India

Hyderabad: Buying cough syrup from the neighbourhood medical shop will not be an easy affair anymore!

From now on, it is mandatory to produce a doctor’s prescription to buy cough syrup from medical shops. On Tuesday, the Union Health Ministry issued a notification amending the Drugs Rules, 1945, to remove cough syrups from Schedule K, making their sale only based on a doctor’s prescription.

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Such a move by the Union Health Ministry is being seen as a direct result of the incident in Madhya Pradesh last August–September, when over 20 children died after allegedly consuming contaminated cough syrup. There have been reports of deaths among children in other countries where syrups manufactured in India have been exported.

Till now, cough syrups were grouped with several other common medicines like headache tablets (aspirin), paracetamol, pain balms, gels, sprays, lozenges, cough pills and tablets that do not require a doctor’s prescription. Such drugs are usually available over the counter (OTC) and are also stocked in general stores.

The Health Ministry’s notification on Tuesday has removed cough syrups from this group, thus making their procurement strictly based on medical prescription.

Move could regulate substance abuse

Another major reason for making cough syrups prescription-based is that almost all of them are habit-forming drugs. There is a large population in Hyderabad and other cities, and even rural areas, where persons with substance use disorder are physically and mentally dependent on cough syrups.

Almost all cough syrups available in the market are codeine-based formulations, which are opioid derivatives. When consumed in dosages exceeding medical requirements, such syrups lead to physical and psychological dependence. Beyond their intended use, cough syrups are frequently diverted for recreational abuse to induce sedative or euphoric effects.

Quite often, cough syrups, since they were readily available without prescription from medical shops, are also considered gateway drugs for many, especially among youth. As a result, there has been widespread abuse of cough syrups, which is often very difficult to monitor or curb at the medical shop level.