The FDA says oral phenylephrine, used in many over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, "is not effective as a nasal decongestant."

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.

  • @hedgehogging_the_bed
    16•13 days ago

    Oooo! Do Guaifenesin next! That also has basically no evidence of effectiveness despite being on the market for ages.

    • peopleproblems
      5•13 days ago

      That I didn’t know. Does that mean that the benefit from it just comes from drinking the insane amount of water it recommends?

    • quicklime
      5•13 days ago

      Guaifenesin works very very well for me as an expectorant.