Popular cold, flu medicine could be pulled from market for ineffectiveness

[Karah]

COLD AND FLU SEASON IS UPON US AND THAT MIGHT HAVE YOU TURNING TO OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICINE TO GET SOME RELIEF – BUT YOUR GO-TO CHOICE MAY NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE SOON.

THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION SAYS IT’S PULLING A WIDELY USED INGREDIENT FROM SHELVES.

IT’S CALLED ORAL PHENYLEPHRINE AND IS USED IN COUGH AND COLD MEDICINES FROM HOUSEHOLD NAMES LIKE ADVIL, NYQUIL, SUDAFED, ROBITUSSIN, TYLENOL AND THERAFLU.

MORE THAN A YEAR AGO, THE F-D-A’S ADVISERS VOTED AGAINST CONTINUING TO USE THE INGREDIENT – OVER CONCERNS ABOUT THE DATA USED TO SUPPORT ITS APPROVAL AND NEW DATA THAT SHOWS IT MIGHT NOT BE EFFECTIVE.

AFTER THAT VOTE – C-V-S SAID IT WOULD PULL ANY PRODUCTS ON ITS SHELVES THAT ONLY CONTAINED THE PRODUCT.

A 20-22 STUDY OUT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOUND PHENYLEPHRINE BASICALLY ONLY HAD A PLACEBO EFFECT WHEN SWALLOWED.

THE LATEST F-D-A DATA – PUBLISHED THIS WEEK – SHOWS LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF PHENYLEPHRINE IS ABSORBED INTO THE BODY WHEN TAKEN ORALLY THROUGH A PILL OR COUGH SYRUP.

THEY FOUND IT’S MORE EFFECTIVE IN CERTAIN FORMS – LIKE A NASAL SPRAY – BECAUSE MORE CAN GET INTO THE BLOODSTREAM.

THE PUBLIC GETS TO WEIGH-IN ON THE DECISION UNTIL MAY 7-TH… THEN THE F-D-A WILL DECIDE WHETHER TO REVOKE ITS STATUS AS QUOTE ‘GENERALLY RECOGNIZED AS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE.”

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