New Delhi, June 16 -- The Union health ministry has amended the Drugs Rules, 1945, removing cough syrups from Schedule K, which covers drugs that can be sold over the counter without a prescription.

The provision had allowed cough syrups to be sold in villages with fewer than 1,000 residents without a retail drug license.

The change means cough syrups can now be distributed, dispensed, and sold in these rural areas only through licensed pharmacies that comply with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, according to a gazette notification issued on Tuesday.

"The amendment has been undertaken to strengthen regulatory oversight of syrup formulations and to align the exemption framework with contemporary public health and safety requirements,"...