The central government has banned the administration of popular cold and cough medicines to infants and children under 4 years of age. The country's apex health regulatory agency, the Central drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), has banned the administration of popular cold and cough medicines to infants and children below 4 years of age. The Drug Regulatory Authority has asked pharmaceutical companies that manufacture drugs such as GlaxoSmithKline's T-Minic Oral Drops, Glenmark's Ascoril Flu Syrup, and Solvin Cold Syrup to include a warning on their medicines.
In this regard, in a letter sent by the Drug Control Authority, a package of products made using a cocktail of two drugs, chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine, has been requested. These medicines help relieve cold and flu symptoms, including watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, and itchy nose or throat. While chlorpheniramine maleate acts as an anti-allergic agent, phenylephrine acts as a decongestant, constricting small blood vessels to provide relief from nasal congestion or congestion.
However, later, various concerns have been raised against the use of these drugs among infants and children, it said. This was discussed in the Expert Panel (Lung) on june 6. The committee recommended that these drugs should not be used in children below 4 years of age and accordingly, companies should mention a warning to this effect on the label and package.” According to pediatricians, developed countries like the US and EU banned such products for babies and children a decade ago. "These drugs are not evidence-based for infants and young children and can be harmful if used unsupervised by parents," said a pediatrician working at a general hospital in Delhi. And because respiratory illness in a child can lead to significant parental anxiety, they are banned.
U.S. data show that nearly 7,000 children are treated in emergency departments each year for secondary side effects of cough medicines.
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