Govt Bans Several Cold And Flu Syrups For Kids Below Four Years | Check List

Following the deaths of at least 141 children worldwide connected to cough syrups, India's drugs regulator has outlawed the use of an anti-cold medication combination in children under the age of four and mandated that drugs be labelled appropriately.

According to the regulator, discussions and a recommendation to avoid using the combination for that age group were sparked by concerns expressed about the promotion of an unapproved anti-cold drug formulation in infants.

The directive is issued as India takes note of the numerous child fatalities that have occurred since 2019 and that officials have connected to the toxic cough syrups produced there. Since the middle of last year, at least 141 deaths have occurred in the Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon.

According to Indian authorities, using cough syrups made in the country in 2019 resulted in at least 12 child deaths and four severely disabled children.

The deaths have clouded the quality of exports from India, which is known as the "world's pharmacy" because of its abundant supply of inexpensive life-saving medications.

Pharma companies that produce T-Minic Oral Drops by GlaxoSmithKline, Ascoril Flu Syrup by Glenmark, and Solvin Cold Syrup by IPCA Laboratories, among others, have been requested by the regulator to include a "warning." According to three pediatricians News18 contacted, children are using this combination widely because their parents self-prescribe and self-medicate.