New Delhi, June 18 -- The government has cracked a whip on cough syrups being sold loosely, a practice found to have exposed users to health risks. This week, it amended India's Drugs Rules of 1945 to remove these syrups from Schedule K, which covers drugs that can be sold 'over the counter' (OTC) without a doctor's prescription.

The old classification had let these mixtures be sold in villages with fewer than 1,000 residents by retailers without a drug licence. Now, only licensed pharmacies are allowed to sell them; some reports indicate that a doctor's nod may be necessary too.

Tighter regulation ought to help avert tragedies caused by the consumption of substandard, expired or counterfeit syrups. In a shocking case last year, 22 chil...