New Delhi – The Union Health Ministry has issued a stringent advisory to all States and Union Territories, mandating that cough and cold medications should not be prescribed or dispensed to children below two years of age.
The advisory, communicated via a letter to state health directors, further cautioned that these medications are generally not recommended for children below five years. For children above five, any use must follow “careful clinical evaluation with close supervision and strict adherence to appropriate dosing,” with a focus on avoiding multiple drug combinations and ensuring the shortest effective duration.
The Ministry’s action follows a tragic series of child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, which have been linked to the consumption of cough syrups.
The Madhya Pradesh government has taken decisive action, banning the sale of Coldrif syrup across the state after nine children in the Chhindwara district died due to suspected kidney infection. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav called the deaths “extremely tragic” and confirmed the ban on the syrup, which was manufactured at a factory in Kanchipuram. The state government has requested the Tamil Nadu government to conduct an inquiry into the manufacturing unit. The multidisciplinary team from the Union Health Ministry is continuing its analysis of samples and other factors to ascertain the cause of deaths reported in Chhindwara.
In a separate move, the Rajasthan government suspended Drug Controller Rajaram Sharma and halted the distribution of all 19 medicines supplied by Kayson Pharma. This decision came after two children died and several fell ill, allegedly after consuming cough syrups distributed under the state’s Chief Minister’s Free Medicine Scheme. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has ordered a detailed investigation into the issue. According to the Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation Limited (RMSCL), 42 out of 10,119 samples of Kayson Pharma’s medicines tested since 2012 were found to be substandard.
The new advisory from the Union Health Ministry underscores a nationwide push to enhance drug safety and ensure the judicious use of medications for the pediatric population in the wake of these alarming incidents.
