That may be a shock to many. Cold medicines commonly used to relieve nasal congestion are not really effective. “We know it doesn’t have the same effect as a placebo,” said Dr. Andrew Clark, owner of Northtown Pharmacy. This week, the Food and Drug Administration convened a panel of experts to review the latest data on phenylephrine, which is found in over-the-counter versions of Sudafed, Dayquil, and other cold medicines sold on pharmacy shelves. After being required by a 2006 law, drug companies used the ingredient to reformulate tablets and solutions. Old medicines are moved behind the counter. But researchers have long questioned the effectiveness of this ingredient. FDA advisers say new research shows oral phenylephrine is no better than a placebo in relieving nasal congestion. The FDA’s unanimous vote is expected to disrupt the cold and allergy drug market just before flu season. The FDA has not revoked the over-the-counter status of his Sudafed, so it is still available. However, Clark is hopeful that the drug will be discontinued. Mr. Clark said if the medicine is working for you, keep taking it. But if not, there are alternatives like Zyrtec and Claritin D.
That may be a shock to many. Cold medicines commonly used to relieve nasal congestion are actually not very effective.
“We found that it was not as effective as a placebo,” said Dr. Andrew Clark, owner of Northtown Pharmacy.
This week, the Food and Drug Administration convened a panel of experts to review the latest data on phenylephrine in over-the-counter versions of Sudafed, Dayquil, and other cold medicines sold on pharmacy shelves.
After a 2006 law required older drugs to be moved behind the counter, drug companies used the ingredients to reformulate tablets and solutions. But researchers have long questioned the effectiveness of this ingredient. FDA advisers say new research shows oral phenylephrine is as good as a placebo in relieving congestion.
The FDA’s unanimous vote is expected to disrupt the market for cold and allergy treatments just before flu season. The FDA has not revoked the over-the-counter status of his Sudafed, so it is still available. However, Clark is hopeful that the drug will be discontinued.
Mr. Clark said if the medicine is working for you, keep taking it. But if not, there are alternatives like Zyrtec and Claritin D.
