Visakhapatnam: Drugs control officials on Monday seized 5,900 prohibited cold and cough syrups worth Rs.4.5 lakh from a wholesale medical agency in Visakhapatnam as the combination is prohibited for use among children below four years of age.

Under the directions of Girisha, Director General, Drugs Control Administration and supervision of S Vijaya Kumar, assistant director, Drugs Control, Visakhapatnam, Drugs Inspector M Srinivas Rao seized around 5,900 bottles of cold/cough syrups worth Rs.4.5 lakh from Kirby Life Sciences, a wholesale medical agency at Marripalem, Visakhapatnam.

The syrups that contain a combination of Chlorpheniramine Maleate plus Phenylephrine Hydrochloride have been prohibited for use among children below four years of age.

Manufactured by Bajaj Formulations, Bhagwanpur, Roorkee, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, the label of the seized syrups failed to carry the mandatory warning, “Not to be used in children below four years of age.”

Due to this omission, the officials mentioned that there is a potential risk of using the syrups for children.

A case has been registered against the manufacturer under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, and 5,900 bottles worth Rs.4.5 lakh have been seized.

The seized material will be produced before the court for further orders.

In view of the recent incidents of child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan due to contaminated cough syrups, the Drugs Inspector warned that stringent legal action will be taken against any licensee selling prohibited combinations, and no cold/cough syrup for children should be sold without a valid prescription from a registered medical practitioner.

A case has been registered against the Uttarakhand-based manufacturer Bajaj Formulations.