The Indian government is urgently reviewing national drug-sale rules after a series of heartbreaking child deaths linked to contaminated cough syrups has triggered nationwide alarm. In a high-level development unfolding in the capital today, officials have confirmed that the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) is examining a proposal that could drastically change how cough syrups are sold across the country. Under the proposal, cough syrups may soon be removed from Schedule K, a category of everyday, low-risk medical products that can currently be sold freely without a pharmacy licence even in remote areas.
If the change is approved, cough syrups would become prescription-only medicines, ending decades of easy over-the-counter access. This dramatic move comes after at least 24 children in Madhya Pradesh, most of them under five, died earlier this year after allegedly being given…
