Is Ascoril banned in India?

Ascoril is a family of Glenmark cough syrups, and the question of whether it is banned depends on which one you hold.

The current mainstays are not banned. Ascoril LS combines levosalbutamol, ambroxol and guaifenesin for productive cough. Ascoril D and Ascoril D Plus are dextromethorphan-based syrups for dry cough, and dextromethorphan itself was the subject of a PIB fact check in October 2025 confirming that it is not banned. None of these compositions appears in the 2023, 2024 or 2026 FDC notifications or in the April 2025 list of 35 unapproved combinations.

The older expectorant formula is another matter. The original Ascoril combined salbutamol with bromhexine and guaiphenesin. The June 2023 order banning 14 older FDCs included salbutamol + bromhexine and several related expectorants, and the August 2024 list of 156 combinations included salbutamol + bromhexine + guaiphenesin + ammonium chloride + menthol along with terbutaline, ambroxol and etofylline expectorant combinations. Which of these entries maps to a specific historical Ascoril product, and when Glenmark changed formulas, is flagged for verification; the plan's warning that brand mapping for the 2024 list is unconfirmed applies here.

The practical test is the label. A syrup listing salbutamol and bromhexine together is a prohibited combination; one listing levosalbutamol with ambroxol and guaifenesin is not. And whatever the formula, cough syrups should not be given to children under two.