Following complaints about the misuse of popular codeine-based cough syrups and formulations as narcotics and intoxicants, the government is about to outlaw these substances. To reduce their abuse, a health ministry-established expert committee suggested banning some codeine-based combinations.

According to sources, the M S Bhatia-led committee has recommended the prohibition of 14 products. These might not simply be cough syrups with codeine in them; they might also be other fixed-dose combinations.

Once a decision is made, it′s possible that brands marketed by organizations including Pfizer, Abbott, Laborate, and Mankind could be adversely affected. Cough and cold medications sold by pharma giants like Pfizer and Abbott, with annual sales of more than Rs 200 crore apiece, were among the top-selling products in the pharma retail sector more than five years ago.

The use of formulations containing codeine has come under official scrutiny for several years. Along with widely-used painkillers, anti-diabetic medications, and respiratory treatments, these formulations, including cough syrups, were included in the ban on "irrational" 350-plus fixed-dose combination (FDC) products in March 2016. When it was discovered that these medications were irrational, the government made the decision to forbid their sale.

Due to safety concerns, the US Food and Drug Administration limited the use of codeine and tramadol in paediatric patients in 2017. In India, the majority of the preparations for codeine that are listed under schedule H1 are sold without a prescription.  (ETHealthWorld, August 03, 2022)