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

Pic for representational purpose

US 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."

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.