A number of cough and common cold remedies are available on the shelves of major pharmacies across the country. Many of these are available without a prescription because their use does not require professional supervision. However, following the FDA’s new findings, the CVS chain decided to withdraw some of these products.
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee recently reported that the active ingredients in these drugs are ineffective. In response, CVS took action and removed some products from display.
This is oral phenylephrine, an ingredient used alone or in combination with other ingredients to relieve cough and cold symptoms. Several of them are specifically targeted at nasal congestion.
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At a meeting on September 11 and 12, regulators raised questions about the drug’s performance for its intended use.
“The Committee discussed new data regarding the effectiveness of oral phenylephrine and concluded that current scientific data do not support that the recommended doses of oral phenylephrine are effective as a nasal decongestant. However, the FDA and None of the committees expressed concerns about the safety of oral phenylephrine when used at recommended doses,” the statement read.
Medications on CVS shelves.Photo: Forbes
recalled drugs
In light of the findings, the pharmacy chain announced the withdrawal of several such products and emphasized its commitment to selling medicines that comply with all regulations.
CVS confirmed the information in a statement emailed to The Hills.
“We are removing certain oral cough and cold products that contain phenylephrine as the only active ingredient from CVS Pharmacy. Other oral cough and cold products will continue to be available to meet consumer demand,” they said in the article.
The products that will no longer be displayed are as follows:
Sudafed PE Sinus Congestion
Sudafed Sinus congestion.Photo: NBC
Benadryl Allergy Plus Congestion ULTRATABS
Benadryl Allergy Plus Congestion ULTRATABS.Photo: eBay
Although they found that the doses of ingredients in these drugs were not effective enough, they did not sound the alarm about the safety of their use. In this sense, they discussed the possibility of eliminating products containing phenylephrine from the market.
“Because many different drugs can be sold under the same brand name, consumers should always read the drug information label so they can determine what ingredients they contain as well as important warnings and instructions for use,” the FDA advises. “