India bans 350 combination drugs on safety grounds

 17-Mar-16, Mashable Australia 

The Indian government has banned around 344 fixed dosed combination drugs, including Pfizer's cough syrup Corex, Procter & Gamble's Vicks Action 500 Extra and Crocin Cold and Flu, citing their potential risks.

Image: Sajjad Hussain / AFP / Getty Images

The government ban is per the recommendations of an expert committee which said that they lacked "therapeutic justification." In addition, some of the drugs were banned because they cause anti-biotic resistance, the government said. Around 500 more drugs may be banned in future on similar grounds.

Fixed dose combination drugs are medicines which contain two or more drugs combined in a fixed ratio but available in a single dosage. The government-appointed expert committee had reviewed over 6,000 combinations which had been previously approved by state licensing authorities in India for safety and efficacy. 

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