P&G stops selling Vicks Action 500 Extra in India after ban

Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care

15/03/2016 04:13

MUMBAI, March 15 (Reuters) - U.S. consumer health giant 
Procter & Gamble's  PG.N  India unit said on Tuesday it had 
stopped manufacture and sale of its cough-and-cold medicine 
Vicks Action 500 Extra with immediate effect, after regulators 
banned it citing potential health risk. 
    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  PROC.NS  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."  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N16M1CY 
    P&G said all its products, including Vicks Action 500 Extra, 
were backed by research to support their quality, safety and 
efficacy. 
    It wasn't immediately clear how much the product contributed 
to P&G's sales. 
 
 (Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Mumbai; Editing by Gopakumar 
Warrier) 
 ((zeba.siddiqui@thomsonreuters.com; +91-9769624550; Reuters 
Messaging: zeba.siddiqui.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: PROCTER GAMBLE INDIA/BAN