A US drugstore chain has recalled cough and cold medicines containing phenylephrine.

CVSUS drugstore chains have decided to voluntarily remove certain cough and cold medicines containing the following ingredients from their shelves: Oral phenylephrine as the only active ingredient.

The decision was made by an advisory group Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that the compound was not effective in relieving nasal congestion when taken orally.

A spokesman for the network told CNBC News Other cold and cough medicines will continue to be available. Furthermore, he assured that they will follow the FDA’s instructions.

Although U.S. regulators have not yet decided whether to require drug manufacturers and retailers to remove products containing oral phenylephrine from the market, CVS Choosing to act early, it withdrew over-the-counter medications containing phenylephrine such as NyQuil, Benadryl, Sudafed and Mucinex.

The news could mean a heavy blow to the U.S. retail store economy, as sales of drugs containing the compound grew significantly last year, with more than 242 million vials sold, according to information collected by the FDA.

this phenylephrine Is a sympathomimetic drug commonly used as a decongestant in cold and allergy medications. It acts on adrenergic receptors in the nasal mucosa, causing vasoconstriction, thereby reducing inflammation of the nasal mucosa and relieving congestion.

It has been used as a common ingredient in medicines for 75 years and was approved for sale without a prescription in 1970. However, starting in 2005, phenylephrine became more notorious as the supply of the drug phenylephrine was restricted. pseudoephedrine, a similar decongestant ingredient. The latter is restricted to pharmacy counters to prevent its illegal use in manufacturing methamphetamine, Infobae details.

However, the drug’s effectiveness is widely debated in the scientific community. In 2007, a study by scientists at the University of California concluded that “there is insufficient evidence that oral phenylephrine is effective as an over-the-counter decongestant.” This study was the basis for the FDA’s ruling.

in accordance with U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) through its Medline Plus portal, it is necessary to follow the instructions on the prescription and Consult a doctor If you have questions about the use of phenylephrine, ask your pharmacist as mixing it with similar cough medicines may result in an overdose.

Regarding its effectiveness, when Infobae asked how effective drugs containing phenylephrine are, clinicians Ramiro Heredia A member of the Emergency Department of the Buenos Aires City Hospital (MN 117882) explained: “Colds are diseases caused by a variety of viruses. In this case, there is no specific treatment for these pathogens, so treatment is symptomatic relief. The same thing happens with allergies, which are the body’s overreaction to certain substances or elements that are harmless to most people. In both cases, what we are trying to do is reduce the symptoms. “

In the same sense, pulmonologists Gabriella Tabai The first thing to consider, says Dr. Antonio A. Cetrángolo from the Chest Hospital (MN 107176), is that “drugs are often called ‘anti-flu’ basically because they do not cure the flu but are designed to treat it. ” to alleviate the symptoms of the picture. Influenza is a disease caused by the influenza virus, and we have vaccines designed to reduce the complications it causes,” he assured Infobae after an FDA advisory panel made the announcement a few weeks ago.

“These medicines have not been proven to work better than an inactive medicine (placebo). What’s more, these drugs can also have side effects. While antibiotics can be used to fight bacterial infections, they have no effect on the viruses that cause colds, and influenza viruses are not the only ones associated with fever or the flu. Even other viruses can exhibit symptoms such as colds, pharyngeal tonsillitis and bronchitis,” Tabai stressed.