American consumer health giant Procter & Gamble’s India unit said on Tuesday it had stopped the manufacture and sale of its popular cough-and-cold pill Vicks Action 500 Extra with immediate effect, reported Reuters. This followed the central government's ban on as many as 344 fixed dose combination drugs, citing health risks. P&G's product is a fixed dose combination of paracetamol, phenylephrine and caffeine. A Health Ministry-appointed panel of experts had said the combination lacked “therapeutic justification”.

P&G said in a statement that all its products, including Vicks Action 500 Extra, were backed by research to support their quality, safety and efficacy. Pharmaceutical companies are considering challenging the government order, reported Livemint. Pfizer Ltd, the Indian unit of US-based Pfizer Inc, on Monday got a stay from the Delhi High Court against the government order to ban its popular cough syrup Corex. According to analysts, the ban could cost Indian pharmaceutical companies about Rs 3,500 crore-3,800 crore.