New Delhi, Aug. 25 -- The Union health and family welfare ministry has restricted the manufacture, sale and distribution of all fixed-dose combinations containing chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine hydrochloride for use in treating the common cold in infants and young children below four years of age, in India's Rs.4,500 crore cough, cold and anti-allergic retail market.

The regulatory action follows safety recommendations from an expert committee and the Drugs Technical Advisory Board, against the backdrop of toxic syrup tragedies linked to contamination with diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. Mint explains:

Chlorpheniramine maleate is a first-generation antihistamine, while phenylephrine hydrochloride acts as a vasoconstri...