Brand check
Is Corex DX or Corex T banned in India?
Last checked 19 September 2026. A few details are still being checked against the original document.
Corex DX and Corex T are not banned in India as of 19 Sep 2026; the prohibited product is the original chlorpheniramine + codeine Corex, and Corex T remains a prescription-only Schedule H1 codeine syrup.
- Classification
- No ban or recall found in official records
- Decided by
- CDSCO / Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- Reference
- No Section 26A notification for these variants (compositions:, being verified
- Latest action
- 8 October 2025
- Last checked
- 19 September 2026details being verified
Photo: Cocillana.JPG by Xanor (CC0). All photo credits.
AIR / PIB Fact Check: Govt dismisses rumours of ban on dextromethorphan cough syrups
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 Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date.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
- Corex DX
- Dextromethorphan + chlorpheniramine, not banned; PIB fact check 8 Oct 2025 on dextromethorphan
- Corex T
- Codeine + triprolidine, not banned; Schedule H1, prescription with register entry
- Corex LS
- Levosalbutamol + ambroxol + guaifenesin, not banned
- What is banned
- Original Corex (chlorpheniramine + codeine), 14-FDC order of 2 Jun 2023
Where the claim comes from
Every headline about 'Corex banned', in 2016, 2023 and during the October 2025 cough-syrup deaths, is read as covering the whole Corex range. Pfizer's use of the same brand family for three different formulations makes the confusion easy, and the PIB had to issue a fact check in October 2025 denying a dextromethorphan ban.
Pfizer sells several cough medicines under the Corex name, and they do not share a legal status. This page covers the variants that are not banned.
Corex DX contains dextromethorphan, a non-opioid cough suppressant, with chlorpheniramine. Dextromethorphan is not banned in India; the PIB Fact Check unit said so explicitly on 8 October 2025 after rumours spread during the Coldrif deaths. The only dextromethorphan combinations prohibited are specific multi-ingredient syrups named in the 2023 and 2024 FDC lists, which do not match Corex DX's two-drug formula.
Corex T contains codeine with triprolidine. It is not covered by the 2023 order, which named the chlorpheniramine + codeine pairing. Because it contains codeine, it is a Schedule H1 drug: pharmacies must see a prescription, keep a register and cannot sell it over the counter. Codeine syrups of all brands are the target of constant enforcement action against illicit sales.
Corex LS combines levosalbutamol, ambroxol and guaifenesin for productive cough and is not on any ban list.
Product compositions change, so we have flagged each variant's current formula for verification against the label. Whatever the variant, cough syrups should not be given to children under two, and only with a doctor's advice under five.
What this means for you
Read the full name on the bottle
The suffix tells you which medicine you have. Only the original two-drug codeine syrup is prohibited.
Corex T needs a prescription
Codeine products are Schedule H1: the pharmacy must record your prescription and cannot sell over the counter.
Not for young children
The October 2025 DGHS advisory says no cough syrup for children under two, and caution under five.
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
- AIR / PIB Fact Check: Govt dismisses rumours of ban on dextromethorphan cough syrupsPIBAll India Radio · 8 October 2025
- Deccan Herald: Govt bans 14 fixed-dose combination drugs used to treat cough, feverNewsDeccan Herald · 3 June 2023
- AIR: Health ministry advises cough syrups should not be prescribed or dispensed to children below two yearsNewsAll India Radio · 4 October 2025