Docs asked to suggest alternatives to pholcodine-containing cough syrups

The drug regulator has issued an advisory asking doctors to advise patients to stop taking suppressant pholcodine-containing cough syrups immediately and suggest alternatives, amid concerns that it can trigger life-threatening allergic reactions in people who have to go for general anaesthesia before surgery.

Doctors have also been advised to verify if the patients scheduled to take general anaesthetics-containing neuromuscular blocking agents have taken pholcodine-containing cough and cold remedies in the previous 12 months, and also be aware of anaphylactic reactions in such patients.