Doctor's prescription must to buy cough syrups as govt tightens drug safety rules

The Central government has amended drug regulations to end the over-the-counter sale of syrup-based formulations, making a doctor's prescription mandatory. The decision removes syrups from Schedule K of the drug rules, which previously exempted them to allow free sale in smaller towns. The move follows growing safety concerns, widespread self-medication, and tragic incidents of child deaths linked to contaminated syrups in Gambia, Uzbekistan, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Under the new guidelines, popular cough syrups will strictly require a prescription from a registered medical practitioner at licenced pharmacies. Health experts have welcomed the reform, emphasising that routine cough medicines require stricter regulatory oversight.