Cough syrup nexus: FIRs against 11 firms in two days in Uttar Pradesh, tally goes up to 98

Authorities have already begun cancelling licences of the involved firms under Rule 66 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, officials familiar with the matter said.

First Information Reports were filed against 11 firms in six districts on November 28 and 29 in connection with the codeine-based cough syrup nexus. With this, the total number of FIRs filed in connection with the nexus has gone up to 98 in Uttar Pradesh.

The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA), Uttar Pradesh, has intensified its crackdown on the illegal trade of codeine-based cough syrups and other narcotic (NDPS) medicines, (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)

This tally includes 28 cases in Varanasi, 16 in Jaunpur, eight in Kanpur Nagar, four in Lakhimpur Kheri, three in Lucknow and 39 in other districts – Raebareli, Chandauli, Sultanpur and Ghazipur.

Authorities have already begun cancelling licences of the involved firms under Rule 66 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, officials familiar with the matter said.

The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA), Uttar Pradesh, has intensified its crackdown on the illegal trade of codeine-based cough syrups and other narcotic (NDPS) medicines, according to a highly placed official of FSDA.

Over the past month, the drug control department carried out extensive inspections across multiple districts, uncovering an inter-state syndicate involved in illegal stocking, purchase, sale, distribution and diversion of these regulated drugs.

Officials revealed that investigations exposed serious irregularities, including inadequate storage arrangements, non-existent firms operating solely as illegal billing points, lack of mandatory purchase–sale records and diversion of medicines for non-medical, addictive use.

Based on confirmed evidence, between November 28 and 29, 2025, FIRs were filed in six districts against 11 firms linked to the supply chains of three pharmaceutical companies.

Principal secretary, FSDA, Roshan Jacob said that codeine-based cough syrups and other NDPS medicines fall under Schedule H2 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, making their sale strictly permissible only on a registered medical practitioner’s prescription.

To prevent further abuse, district magistrates across Uttar Pradesh have been directed to intensify monitoring of the purchase and sale of narcotic-category medicines and ensure their use remains strictly medical. The FSDA stated that it will continue aggressive enforcement across the state.