Summary
The FDA has proposed removing oral phenylephrine, a common ingredient in over-the-counter cold medicines like NyQuil and Sudafed, due to evidence that it is ineffective as a nasal decongestant.
The proposal follows a unanimous vote by FDA advisers last year, and recent studies showing less than 1% of the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream when taken orally.
The public comment period ends on May 7, after which the FDA may finalize the ban.
Oooo! Do Guaifenesin next! That also has basically no evidence of effectiveness despite being on the market for ages.
That I didn’t know. Does that mean that the benefit from it just comes from drinking the insane amount of water it recommends?
Guaifenesin works very very well for me as an expectorant.
The entire cough/cold aisle is a gigantic scam of combo meds.