Is Cefixime banned in India?

Cefixime is a third-generation oral cephalosporin used for typhoid, urinary and respiratory infections, and sold under brands such as Zifi, Taxim-O and Cefix. It is not banned in India.

Single-ingredient cefixime is an essential medicine and has never been named in a Section 26A notification. Two cefixime combinations have been acted on. On 2 August 2024 the 156-FDC notification prohibited cefixime + acetylcysteine, a pairing of an antibiotic with a mucolytic that the expert committee found unjustified. On 11 April 2025 the CDSCO directed state licensing authorities to halt cefixime + ofloxacin + lactobacillus, a three-drug product licensed at state level without central approval; the legal nature of that direction is flagged for verification in our plan.

The two-drug cefixime + ofloxacin combination, sold as Zifi-O and others, was not part of either action and remains licensed. We have not found cefixime + azithromycin, sometimes searched as "Zifi AZ", in any ban list.

Cefixime is also a frequent subject of monthly quality alerts, because so many manufacturers make it; those findings are batch-specific and do not affect the drug's status.

If a doctor has prescribed cefixime, the course should be completed. If a pack lists acetylcysteine with cefixime, or lactobacillus with cefixime and ofloxacin, ask the pharmacist for the plain product instead.