Is Sinarest banned in India?

Sinarest is a family of cold products from Centaur Pharmaceuticals. The syrup, paediatric drops and tablet all combine paracetamol with chlorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine. None is banned, but the chlorpheniramine + phenylephrine pairing is now formally restricted for young children.

On 15 April 2025 the Health Ministry issued S.O. 1717(E) under Section 26A, requiring chlorpheniramine + phenylephrine drops and syrups to carry the statement "shall not be used in children below four years" and prohibiting their promotion for that age. On 18 August 2026 a second notification, S.O. 4595(E), extended the condition to all fixed-dose combinations containing the two drugs, so tablets and paracetamol-containing versions are now covered as well. A DGHS proposal for a red warning label on all cough syrups was placed before the Drugs Consultative Committee on 19 September 2026.

Sinarest is often confused with Cheston Cold. The August 2024 ban list included cetirizine + paracetamol + phenylephrine, the Cheston Cold formula; it did not include the chlorpheniramine version that Sinarest uses. Sinarest Levo, which contains levocetirizine, should be checked separately against the 2024 levocetirizine entries.

One point to check on the pack: if a Sinarest tablet also lists caffeine, its four-drug formula matches caffeine + paracetamol + phenylephrine + chlorpheniramine, which was in the 2016 ban (S.O. 950(E)). That ban was quashed, and CDSCO lists the combination as still under examination, not banned. We have not verified the current tablet composition.

For adults with a cold, the tablet can be used as labelled. For children under four, the drops and syrup are no longer an option, and a doctor can advise on saline drops and paracetamol instead.