P&G stops sale of Vicks Action 500 In India

Mumbai: Multinational consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G) announced on Tuesday that it has discontinued manufacture and sale of its popular brand 'Vicks Action 500 Extra' with immediate effect after the government banned Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drugs citing potential health risk.

Shailyamanyu Singh, director of P&G said: “Our product Vicks Action 500 Extra has the same fixed dose combination and gets covered under this notification.” “We would like to reinforce that the health, safety and well-being of our consumers is our number one priority at P&G,” he further added.

The product is a fixed dose combination of paracetamol, phenylephrine and caffeine, which was banned by India's health ministry in a notice issued over the weekend, Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd informed the stock exchange. The drug was one of 344 drug combinations including several antibiotics and analgesics that India ordered to be prohibited saying a government-appointed panel of experts had found the combinations lacked "therapeutic justification."

Yesterday, drug majors Pfizer and Abbott stopped sale of their popular cough syrups Corex and Phensedyl respectively, after the government banned over 300 FDC drugs.
The two companies, however, said they are exploring "all options" to counter the impact of ban.

In view of the government ban on manufacture and sale of Corex, the "company has discontinued the manufacture and sale of it's drug 'Corex' with immediate effect," Pfizer said adding that Corex has a well established efficacy and safety profile in India for more than 30 years.