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Cough Syrup New Rule: After the harmful cases of cough syrup came to light, the government has decided that new guidelines and rules will be made on this soon. Under this, syrup will not be sold at shops without a written prescription from a doctor.
New Delhi. Regarding cough syrup, you must have often heard the news of its misuse. Recently, in Madhya Pradesh too, a sensational case of death of many children due to cough syrup had come to light. To curb such incidents, the government has said that it will soon make a new rule. If this rule is implemented then cough syrup will not be available in medicine shops without a doctor’s prescription. This will increase security, but will also increase the burden on people’s pockets. No matter how cheap or expensive the cough syrup is, it will be necessary to get a prescription written by a doctor to buy it, for which the doctor will also have to pay a fee.
Doctors’ fees of Rs 200 to 500 are normal. Obviously, after the new rule comes, you will have to spend many times more money in the form of doctor’s fees to buy cough syrup worth Rs 50. According to media reports, the Central Government is reviewing the report of the Drug Advisory Committee and by making changes in this proposal, a new rule can be made regarding cough syrup.
What could be the change?
It is believed that the committee has said in its proposal that cough syrup can soon be removed from the list of medicines which can be sold without a doctor’s prescription. It has been said in the report that keeping in mind the recent incidents regarding cough syrup, it is necessary to monitor its sale. Currently, cough syrup has been placed in Schedule K, which is considered a list of low-risk medicines. Therefore, such medicines can be sold even without a license. But, soon the rules related to its sale are going to become very strict.
Government declared 3 brands poisonous
Recently, many children had died after drinking contaminated cough syrup, after which the government had declared three brands of cough syrup as toxic. However, most of the cases of death of children were related to Coldrif. Along with this, the government has also refused to use cough syrups like Respifresh TR and ReLife. These medicines will neither be sold in the domestic market nor can they be exported.
- Why is cough syrup dangerous?
- Risk of overdose: Some cough syrups contain opioid medications such as codeine, dextromethorphan, or promethazine. Its overdose can lead to respiratory arrest, coma or even death.
- Addiction: Codeine containing cough syrups like Corex, Phensedyl, Codistar are widely used for intoxication. Prolonged use leads to physical and mental addiction.
- Dangerous for children: Cough syrups containing codeine or DXM should not be given to children under 12 years of age.
- Side Effects: Cough syrup can sometimes cause side effects like sleepiness, dizziness, dry mouth, blurred vision, rapid heartbeat, allergy etc.
How big is the market for cough syrup in India?
India is among the top countries in the world in terms of production and consumption of medicines. At present the cough syrup market is worth $262.5 million (about Rs 2,200 crore). It is growing by 9.92 percent annually, so it can reach Rs 6,200 crore by 2035. Apart from cough syrup, the market of cold and cough remedies in India is currently worth about Rs 11 thousand crores, which is estimated to reach Rs 16 thousand crores in the next four years with an annual growth of 8 percent.
