Packaging for aspirin, paracetamol, and iron supplements will have to be made more child-resistant, as the government seeks to reduce the numbers of toddlers who are accidentally poisoned each year.
Ministers say that the growing use of "blister" packaging means more drugs are reaching patients without sufficient safeguards.
They want to set rules covering pills, tablets, and lozenges provided in strip and blister packs to bring them into line with those sold in bottles and other containers. Manufacturers have been told to come up with ideas for protecting curious children from taking potentially fatal overdoses.
One suggestion is the addition of sufficiently strong self-adhesive covers to foils on the packaging, making it impossible to pop out pills until the covers had been pulled back.
Health minister Lord Hunt, outlining proposals for consultation yesterday, said: "Most parents take adequate precautions with medicines in the home. Whilst the first line of defence must always be to keep medicines out of the sight and reach of children, child-resistant packaging represents an important additional safeguard.
"Analgesics are the most commonly implicated class of medicine in childhood overdose. Between 2000 and 2001 there were nearly 2,000 hospital admissions for accidental poisonings by exposure to these medicines."
Ministers and safety advisers are also keen to raise awareness of the harm that could be caused by toddlers from iron supplements, which can be toxic in relatively small quantities.
Lord Hunt said: "Most people just don't realise that iron, an essential component of a healthy diet, is potentially dangerous. As few as six tablets may contain enough iron to cause a toddler's death. Even when a small child survives, iron can cause delayed life-threatening injuries."
The Department of Health said that between 1996 and 1999 there had been 22,983 cases of children aged one to four being admitted to hospital with overdoses. About 540 admissions were due to suspected iron overdose.
Liquid paracetamol preparations and medicines containing more than 24mg of iron will also face tougher safety rules.
The government says adults who might have difficulties opening child-resistant packs will continue to be able to ask pharmacists and doctors for special supplies.
