Cetirizine Ban: A Hyderabad pediatrician who spearheaded an 8-year campaign resulting in the ban on misleading sugar-based ORS drinks has now targeted the use of Cetirizine for children.
Cetirizine Ban-Request To Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories
In a shared video, Dr. Sivaranjani Santosh has requested Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to stop the production and sale of Cetzine Drops for children.
Dr. Santosh said the maximum dosage of Cetirizine for children should be 2.5mg in 24 hours, once a day between children between the ages of 2-6 years. For children above the age of 6, the maximum dose should be 5mg in 24 hours, once a day.
The doctor contended that Cetzine Drops for children by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has a formulation of 1ml equals to 1mg of Cetrizine, which can be catastrophic for the health of young children. Dr. Santosh said a single or twice a day with such a formulation would translate to a staggering 10-20mg a day.
Cetirizine overdosing can lead to side effects such as dry mouth, sleepiness, headache, stomach pain, weakness, or tiredness. In acute cases, it can even result in life-endangering health conditions.
Misleading Sugar-Based ORS Drinks
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) imposed a ban on misleading sugar-based ORS drinks after Dr. Sivaranjani Santosh repeatedly requested it to put a blanket ban.
On October 15 this year, the FSSAI banned the use of the term ‘ORS’ on any beverage that does not adhere to the WHO’s strict medical formula. Dr. Santosh had remarked that these sugar-based formulas used to contain 9–10 times more sugar than the WHO-recommended formula that could have caused diarrhea and other health complications in individuals and children.
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