New Delhi: Cough syrups can no longer be sold over the counter, the Government has ordered.
In fact, no surup-based medicine can be sold without a doctor’s prescription, the Centre has said in its order. The decision was announced by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday and is expected to bring stricter control over the use of commonly used syrup medicines.
The Centre amended the Drugs Rules, 1945, through the Drugs (Fifth Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified in the official gazette on June 9. Under the amendment, the word “Syrups” has been removed from item number (7) under serial number 13 of Schedule K of the Drugs Rules, 1945, as reported by ANI.
Schedule K lists categories of medicines that are exempt from certain provisions of Chapter IV of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, subject to specified conditions. With the omission of syrups from the list, such medicines will now be subject to the applicable regulatory requirements.
Cough syrups and several other surup-based medicines used to be sold without prescriptions for several years now. While this made access convenient, health experts repeatedly raised concerns about self-medication, incorrect dosage, and misuse of such medicines.
Chemists and pharmacies can now sell syrup-based medicines only after seeing a valid prescription from a registered medical practitioner.
A draft notification was issued on December 29, 2025, which invited objections and suggestions from stakeholders and the public. The government said all comments received on the draft rules were considered before the final notification was issued.
“Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 12 and 33 of the said Act, the Central Government, after consultation with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board, hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Drugs Rules, 1945, namely,” the notification stated, as reported by NDTV.
The notification was issued after consultation with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board.
A major reason behind the decision is the concern over misuse and unsupervised consumption of cough syrups and other medicinal syrups. Health authorities have been working to promote the proper usage of these medicines, especially among children.
Through this regulation, the government aims to reduce misuse, improve patient safety, and encourage people to seek professional medical advice before taking medication.
