New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- India plans to mandate a prominent red warning label and a pictorial depiction of school-age children on cough syrup bottles to discourage their use in children aged under four years, according to two officials and a document reviewed by Mint.

The proposal was taken up for consideration at a meeting held on Friday, 18 September, chaired by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

The move comes against the backdrop of repeated complaints regarding the administration of cold and cough formulations to infants, as well as national and international incidents involving cough syrups contaminated with toxic substances, including diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG).

Globally, contaminated Indian-manufactur...