It seems that India has become a place where the government is banning things one by one. US consumer health giant Procter & Gamble’s India unit said on Tuesday it had stopped manufacture and sale of its cough-and-cold medicine Vicks Action 500 Extra with immediate effect, after regulators banned it citing potential health risk. Stocks of the company were trading 0.46 per cent down at Rs 6100 (9.26 am) as it on Tuesday.
The move comes after Health Ministry banned about 344 fixed dose combination drugs, including Paracetamol, Phenylephrine and Caffeine. Vicks Action 500 Extra constitutes same fixed dose combination, that India ordered to be prohibited saying a government-appointed panel of experts had found the combinations lacked “therapeutic justification.”
Vicks Action 500 Extra has been in the market for 33 years and cures headache, nasal congestion, sore throat and body ache.
P&G said all its products, including Vicks Action 500 Extra, were backed by research to support their quality, safety and efficacy.
“Our product Vicks Action 500 Extra has the same Fixed Dose Combination and gets covered under this notofication. Accordingly, we have discontinu3d manufacture and sale of Vicks Action 500 Extra with immediate effect,” the company told BSE.
The company, also said that Vicks has been providing remedies for relieving cold and flu symptoms for over 100 years. It said, “All Vicks products, including Vicks Action 500 Extra, are backed by research to support their safety, quality and efficacy. It has products approved by government regulators in over 60 countries, and enjoys an excellent safety record.”
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