Brand check
Is Corex banned in India?
Last checked 19 September 2026. A few details are still being checked against the original document.
The chlorpheniramine + codeine cough syrup sold as Corex has been prohibited in India since the 14-FDC notification of 2 Jun 2023; the 2016 ban was quashed in court, and Corex DX and Corex T are separate formulations.
- Who decided: CDSCO / Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- Reference: Section 26A notification, 2 Jun 2023, 14-FDC list (S.O., being verified; earlier S.O. 909(E)/983(E) of 10 Mar 2016 quashed
- Status as of: 19 September 2026
Photo: Cocillana.JPG by <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Xanor" title="Use (CC0). All photo credits.
Key facts
- Governing authority
- CDSCO, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- Current notification
- Section 26A, 2 Jun 2023 to 2014 FDCs (being verified)
- Earlier notification
- S.O. 909(E) / 983(E), 10 Mar 2016, quashed
- Original maker
- Pfizer India
- Variants not covered
- Corex DX (dextromethorphan + chlorpheniramine); Corex T (codeine + triprolidine, Schedule H1), compositions, being verified
- Enforcement
- Illicit codeine syrup stock seized regularly in Tripura, UP, MP and Chhattisgarh, 2026
Corex is the name most Indians associate with codeine cough syrup, and its legal history spans three separate orders.
Pfizer's original Corex combined chlorpheniramine maleate, an antihistamine, with codeine phosphate, an opioid cough suppressant. On 10 March 2016 the Health Ministry banned this combination along with 343 other FDCs. Pfizer obtained interim relief from the Delhi High Court on 14 March 2016, and on 1 December 2016 the court quashed the whole wave because the Drugs Technical Advisory Board had not been consulted. On appeal, the Supreme Court on 15 December 2017 sent the list back to the Board but excluded combinations licensed before 1988, which included the codeine syrups. They were therefore not in the 328-FDC re-ban of September 2018 and remained on sale as products "under examination".
That examination ended on 2 June 2023, when the ministry prohibited 14 FDCs on the expert committee's advice. Press reports list "chlorpheniramine maleate + codeine syrup" among them. The content plan we work from records the combination as still under examination, so the 2023 entry and its S.O. number are flagged for verification before this page is final.
Corex DX (dextromethorphan + chlorpheniramine) and Corex T (codeine + triprolidine) are different licences. Neither is covered by the 2023 order, but Corex T, as a codeine product, is Schedule H1 and prescription-only.
What this means for you
Old Corex bottles should not be sold
The chlorpheniramine + codeine formula is prohibited; if a shop offers it, it is either old stock or illicit.
Check the suffix
Corex DX and Corex T are different medicines. Corex T contains codeine and needs a Schedule H1 prescription.
Codeine syrups are controlled
Even where legal, codeine cough syrups are prescription-only and are the most seized medicine in India.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Common questions
Why was Corex banned?
The 2023 order followed an expert review that found no therapeutic justification for the chlorpheniramine + codeine combination; codeine misuse was a background concern.
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
- Deccan Herald: Govt bans 14 fixed-dose combination drugs used to treat cough, feverNewsDeccan Herald · 3 June 2023
- Business Today: Delhi High Court grants Pfizer temporary relief on cough syrup banNewsBusiness Today · 15 March 2016
- Scroll: Delhi High Court stays ban on D'Cold, Vicks Action 500 and 300+ medicinesNewsScroll.in · 1 December 2016
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