Cough Syrups To Require Doctor's Prescription As Centre Plans To Remove Them From Schedule K
New Delhi: The Union Government is planning to impose doctor’s prescription-only cough syrups after recent cases of children’s deaths from contaminated products. The government is reviewing whether these syrups should continue to be sold freely without mandatory prescriptions.
A proposal has been placed before the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) seeking the cough syrups to be removed from Schedule K, which is the list of medicines that can be sold without a drug-sale licence.
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Cough syrups fall under Schedule K, a category created for everyday medicines considered safe for routine use, as the products on this list can be sold without a pharmacy licence, which helps ensure that basic medicines are available even in remote villages. The category includes paracetamol and aspirin tablets, balms, antacids, inhalers for nasal congestion, gripe water for infants, and first-aid items like bandages, liniments and tincture of iodine.
Cough syrups, lozenges and pills also fall under this category as long as they are sold in their original sealed packaging. In came into force, the removal from the category will make a doctor’s prescription mandatory to buy regular cough syrup.
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