New Delhi, April 11 -- Under mounting global scrutiny, India has cracked down on paediatric cough syrups, with the health ministry proposing to bar prescription of cough and cold medications for babies below two years of age and also discouraging them for children below five, according to two government officials and documents reviewed by Mint.

The move, part of the draft National Formulary of India (NFI) 2026 published by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), under the health ministry, marks a sharp regulatory tightening after contamination-linked deaths, with implications for prescribing practices and a fast-growing market.

The NFI draft has standardized information on drug dosages, indications, contra-indications and side-effect...