The remedy of choice many parents give to soothe coughing children has been found to be of little benefit, even potentially harmful, and will now require a prescription for infants.

The National Drugs and Poisons Scheduling Committee has announced that a group of cough and cold syrups, including Demazin and Dimetapp, will be available for children under two only when a doctor has provided a prescription.

The committee has found that although there had been few problems reported with the sedating antihistamine syrups in Australia, safety concerns outweighed the benefits of having them available over the counter.