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Mandatory Prescription for Medicinal Syrups
June 22 , 2026
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- The Union Health Ministry has made a doctor’s prescription mandatory for purchasing all medicinal syrups, including cough syrups, by removing the term “syrup” from Schedule K of the Drugs Rules, 1945.
- The decision follows the deaths of more than 300 children in several countries since 2022 due to contamination of India-made cough syrups with ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG).
- Many over-the-counter cough syrups contain a combination of bronchodilators, antihistamines, and decongestants, which may cause harmful effects, especially in children.
- The contamination incidents highlighted failures in manufacturing quality control, raw material testing, and regulatory oversight, rather than problems related to consumer access.
- India has around three dozen State drug controllers, but enforcement remains weak because of a shortage of inspectors and inadequate regulatory capacity.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) issued warnings in 2022 and 2023 regarding contaminated Indian cough syrups, raising concerns about India's pharmaceutical quality standards.
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