China has recently decided to include dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant tied to overdoses among teenagers for years, into its national catalog of Category II Psychotropic Drugs, a move to further tighten controls over the use and sale of the medication.
The decision was announced in a circular jointly released by the National Medical Products Administration, the Ministry of Public Security and National Health Commission on Tuesday and will take effect on July 1.
Dextromethorphan is usually prescribed to relieve coughing caused by the common cold and other upper respiratory infections. It is structurally similar to opioid substance codeine, but was considered nonaddictive and was sold over-the-counter.
However, medical experts have raised concerns over its safety, saying that excessive use may result in feelings of excitement, euphoria and hallucinations.
