Thiruvananthapuram, The Kerala Health Department on Monday ordered that no medicines should be given to children under 12 without a doctor's prescription, a move taken in the wake of concerns over certain cough syrups .

The state has also set up a three-member expert panel to study the use of cough medicines in children and asked it to submit an urgent report, Health Minister Veena George said after a high-level meeting here.

The panel includes the state drugs controller, the child health nodal officer and the state president of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics. Its findings will help formulate new guidelines on cough syrup use in children, the minister said in a statement.

Issuing a strong directive on providing medicines to children under 12 without a prescription, George sai

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