Brand check
Is Cheston Cold banned in India?
Last checked 19 September 2026. A few details are still being checked against the original document.
The cetirizine + paracetamol + phenylephrine combination sold as Cheston Cold has been prohibited in India since the 156-FDC notification of 2 Aug 2024; any product still sold under the name must have a different composition.
- Classification
- Prohibited under Section 26A, Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
- Decided by
- CDSCO / Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- Reference
- S.O. notification of 2 Aug 2024 within S.O. 3285(E), 3440(E) (exact, being verified
- Latest action
- 22 August 2024
- Last checked
- 19 September 2026details being verified
Photo: Sirop toux.jpg by Warp3 (CC BY-SA 3.0). All photo credits.
Goa DFDA circular: 156 FDCs banned (copy of Gazette list)
Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.
Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe organise and explain what the document says. The document above is the authority.
Key facts
- Governing authority
- CDSCO, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- Notification
- Section 26A, 2 Aug 2024, one of 156 FDCs (being verified)
- Gazette published
- 21 to 22 Aug 2024
- Manufacturer
- Cipla
- Reformulation
- Whether Cipla relaunched Cheston Cold with another composition., being verified
Cheston Cold, Cipla's cold tablet, was one of the most recognisable brands caught by the August 2024 ban on fixed-dose combinations.
Its formula combined cetirizine, an antihistamine, with paracetamol and the decongestant phenylephrine. On 2 August 2024 the Health Ministry prohibited 156 FDCs under Section 26A after the Drugs Technical Advisory Board's expert committee found no therapeutic justification for them and a possible risk. Cetirizine + paracetamol + phenylephrine is the second most recognisable entry on that list after the paediatric aceclofenac combination. The notifications were published in the Gazette on 21 to 22 August 2024.
Each entry carries its own S.O. number in the range 3285(E) to 3440(E). News lists renumber and merge the entries, so the exact number for this combination should be read from the CDSCO's official PDF, linked below, before it is quoted.
Whether Cipla has relaunched a product under the Cheston Cold name with a different composition is not settled in our sources and is flagged for verification. That matters because a strip labelled Cheston Cold in 2026 may be a lawful reformulation. The composition printed on the pack is what counts.
The related chlorpheniramine + phenylephrine cold tablets: Sinarest, Wikoryl, Solvin Cold, were not banned, but since 2025 to 2026 they carry an under-four restriction.
What this means for you
Old strips should not be sold
If a pharmacy offers cetirizine + paracetamol + phenylephrine, it is prohibited stock; ask for an alternative.
Read the ingredients on any 'Cheston' pack
A reformulated product may carry the name with a different composition; the composition, not the brand, decides.
The parts are still legal
Cetirizine, paracetamol and phenylephrine are each available on their own or in other approved combinations.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Batches flagged in CDSCO alerts
No NSQ batch on record. No product matching this name appears in CDSCO or state-lab NSQ alerts from Jan 2019 to July 2026. Absence from the alerts is not proof of quality, check your batch number.
Official sources and primary records
- CDSCO: List of prohibited FDC drugs, 156 FDCs dated 02.08.2024RegulatorCDSCO · 2 August 2024
- Goa DFDA circular: 156 FDCs banned (copy of Gazette list)RegulatorDirectorate of Food and Drugs Administration, Goa · 22 August 2024
- News