Cough syrup OTC sale under lens

MUMBAI: The next time you run to a nearby pharmacy to pick up your popular brand of cough syrup for a nagging sore throat, chances are your chemist might bluntly turn you away.
There is a popular misconception that certain prescription drugs -- such as Corex cough syrup, or Phensedyl, among others -- are over-the-counter (OTC) products. And, pharmacies did not make any efforts to either clear the air or disabuse customers of this mistaken notion.But, with drug inspectors cracking down heavily now, pharmacies are unlikely to be as indulgent any longer.
The reason: psychotropic drugs that contain codeine, like Pfizer's Corex and Piramal Healthcare's Phensedyl (0.01% codeine content), are misused by addicts, thereby occasionally creating a shortage for genuine patients.
"Most cough syrups are abused by drug addicts and produce social instability in the economy, especially among the youth. Due to the codeine content, consumers get addicted,'' said P K Ferzanti of the Retail Chemists Dispensing Association. "Earlier, we had an issue about its classification as a narcotic drug. With inspectors cracking down again, some chemists would be turning away patients because they don't want any hassles,'' he added.
Following a crackdown by drug inspectors in Maharashtra, cough syrups have all but disappeared from the market. Faced with complaints of people getting high on `Phensedyl' or `Corex' like cough syrups, many pharmacies across the city now prefer to hold limited stocks.
However, Swati Piramal, director and chief scientific officer, Piramal Healthcare, said: "There is no shortage. If it is not available in certain areas, it could be a local issue. It has not come to our notice yet.''
Piramal, in fact, said there has been an improved retail availability. "We have increased our retailing to doctors by making sure they insist on prescription,'' said Piramal.
According to sales data from IMS (a retail audit company for pharma products specifically), Piramal has recorded a growth of 32% in the last quarter. The firm's cough syrup has been growing 15% on an annualised basis. The data notes that doctors' prescriptions have increased 11% the last quarter, over the previous year.
A Pfizer spokesperson said the company is supportive of all efforts made by the Food and Drug Administration and All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists to control medicinal abuse and actively partner with them to promote responsible dispensation and use of the product. "Corex is a Schedule H drug and is to be sold only against the prescription of a registered medical practitioner,'' added the Pfizer spokesperson.
Corex and Phensedyl are among the leading cough syrup brands. A year ago, the Narcotics Control Bureau initiated investigations into Phensedyl sales, on account of the codeine content in it.
Piramal Healthcare has been conducting an awareness drive all over India. More than a year ago, it set up a de-addiction centre in the north-eastern region called Kripa. "Though most of them are on hard core drugs, we also noted a rise in cough syrup sales. Personally, I have decided to tackle the issue and Kripa came into being,'' said Piramal. Many addicts from neighbouring areas and even Bangladesh are said to have benefitted from this drive.
Some of the other cough syrup brands in the market include Codokuff by German Remedies, Tossex by Cipla and Codeine Linctus by Zydus.