India bans anti-cold drugs for children below 4 after several deaths
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Mumbai: The authorities in India banned the use of anti-cold drugs among children aged below four after a spate of child deaths since 2019 being linked to them.
The drugs regulator directed that the drugs be labelled in accordance with the ban on the age group, according to Reuters.
Dozens of child deaths over several months globally led to discussion surrounding the safety of drugs for common cold manufactured in the country.
The deaths of children at least 141 in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon since the middle of last year were linked to cough syrups, Reuters reported, highlighting the concerns.
At least 12 children died and four others face severe disabilities in India in 2019 after consuming cough syrups made in the country.
India supplies life-saving drugs at low prices earning the title ‘World’s pharmacy’; however child death caused worry about toxic cough syrups.
India’s drug regulator on December 18 issued the order on the fixed-drug combination (FDC), which wanted the products to carry the warning: ‘FDC should not be used in children below 4 years of age’.
The fixed drug combination available in syrups or tablets, used to treat common cold, comprises chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine.
The World Health Organization reportedly discourages use of over-the-counter cough syrups in children younger than five years of age.