Health
The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has ordered six products be permanently removed from sale for children aged under two.
They are Asda Children's Chesty Cough Syrup, Calcough Chesty and Boots Chesty Cough Syrup - one year plus.
Also, Children's Chesty Cough and Boots sore throat and cough linctus one year plus and Buttercup infant cough syrup.
The medicines are to be removed from open shelves, and will not be sold by pharmacists for children under two.
Instead, parents are being urged to stick to paracetamol and ibuprofen medicines, vapour rubs and simple cough syrup such as glycerol, honey or lemon.
Pure honey should not be given to children under one, but medicines are safe as they contain a processed version of the foodstuff. There are 12 ingredients found in the remedies causing concern.
They are brompheniramine; chlorphenamine; diphenhydramine; dextromethorphan; pholcodine; guaifenesin; ipecacuanha; phenylephrine; pseudoephedrine; ephedrine; oxymetazoline and xylometazoline. The medicines of concern all contain a combination of these ingredients. The MHRA says there is no evidence that such multi-ingredient medicines are of any benefit to the under-twos.
There have been concerns in the US over such medicines after parents gave children too high a dose, or more than one product containing the same ingredients.
There have also been some similar reports in the UK.
There have been five deaths in children under two since 1981 where cough and cold medicines may have been a factor, according to the MHRA.
About 90 more cough remedies which are licensed for use in over-twos are to be removed from shelves until they can be repackaged to include advice that they should not be given to children under that age.
Until that time, they will be kept behind pharmacy counters.
Anyone who asks to buy these products will be questioned about the age of the child who is unwell.
The product can be sold if the child is older than two and an advice leaflet will be provided.