Centre Govt makes doctor's prescription mandatory to buy cough syrup

Amid drug quality and patient safety concerns, the Union Health ministry has amended rules to prohibit sale of syrups, including cough syrups, without a doctor's prescription. 

The move is aimed at bringing syrup-based formulations, including cough syrups, under stricter regulatory oversight, official sources said. The amendment has been notified through the Drugs (Fifth Amendment) Rules, 2026, published in the official gazette. 

The amendment came into



force with immediate effect from the date of its publication.

According to the notification issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the word "syrups" has been omitted from item 7 in the "Class of Drugs" column of Schedule K of the Drugs Rules, 1945. 

Schedule K specifies categories of drugs that are exempt from certain provisions relating to manufacture, sale and distribution under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules, subject to prescribed conditions.