If you are going to stock up for cold and flu season…don’t waste your money on products with Phenylephrine. Phenylephrine is the main decongestant ingredient in soluble and tablet form cold and flu medicines. It is sold in products like Lemsip, Beechams and Sudfed. The FDA says that this cold remedy is not effective for stuffy noses.
The Food and Drug Administration reported that this ingredient is used in medicines like Lemsip, Beechams, and Sudafed and is supposed to work by reducing swelling of blood vessels in nasal passages.
A group of advisers to the FDA concluded it was ineffective a year ago after research from the University of Florida showed phenylephrine products were no more effective than placebo pills at relieving symptoms.
“We are taking this next step in the process to propose removing oral phenylephrine because it is not effective as a nasal decongestant,” Director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Dr. Patrizia Cavassoni said. The decision is not yet final, so American stores can still stock remedies that contain the drug for the time being.
American stores and websites would be banned from selling medicines containing phenylephrine and pharmaceutical companies would be forced to produce nasal decongestants instead – or find a different ingredient for oral remedies.
The products will still be on the shelves and it is up to the consumer to know.
“Nasal decongestants containing PE have been trusted by health professionals and consumers for decades and are still available to help treat symptoms of common respiratory infections, such as cough, cold and flu.”
