The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it would seek public opinion before finalizing its decision to remove a decongestant widely used in cough syrups from the agency's list of ingredients for over-the-counter (OTC) use.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it would seek public opinion before finalizing its decision to remove a decongestant widely used in cough syrups from the agency’s list of ingredients for over-the-counter (OTC) use.

The FDA’s clarification follows a unanimous vote by its panel of outside experts on Tuesday against the effectiveness of oral OTC medicines made with phenylephrine, an ingredient widely used in cold and cough syrups.

If the FDA concurs with the panel’s view, it will first issue a proposed order removing phenylephrine from the list of ingredients that are allowed in OTC drugs, and seek public comment on it.

After considering the comments, if the FDA continues to conclude phenylephrine is not effective, the agency would issue a final order on it and work with manufacturers to reformulate products to effectively treat symptoms of cold or allergies.

  • Nawor3565@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    66·
    10 months ago

    To be clear, they’re trying to get rid of it because oral phenylephrine doesn’t work. It’s completely ineffective at being a decongestant.

      • shottymcb@lemm.ee
        4·
        10 months ago

        Phenylephrine is also linked to birth defects in pregnant women, while pseudoephedrine is not. My wife’s OB recommended sudafed when she had a cold. The pharmacy tech pointed her to the aisle with SudafedPE when she asked for Sudafed. So it’s ineffective and dangerous.

    • Kraven_the_Hunter@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      14·
      10 months ago

      I always (anecdotally) knew that this was just a cash grab by pharma companies to have “something” available without having to go to the pharmacy counter. It never worked for me, so I moved to other remedies if I ran out of psuedoepbedrine - steam, menthol, lemon/ginger/honey concoctions. All more effective for me.

      • just_change_it@lemmy.world
        13·
        10 months ago

        I just go to the pharmacy counter because i’m an adult. No replacement for pseudo out there that i’ve seen in folk remedies. Do like honey and limon water for throat stuff though.