Doctors warn of harm from kids' cough, cold drugs

SILVER SPRING, Maryland - U.S. health advisers considered on Thursday if over-the-counter cough and cold medicines should still be sold for young children, as pediatricians argued the drugs are dangerous and do not work.

Manufacturers said the medicines used by millions of parents were safe and effective for kids when given as directed.

A committee of experts that advise the Food and Drug Administration is expected to make recommendations on Friday.

A week ago, Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth and other major manufacturers voluntarily pulled cough and cold drugs for children up to age 2. But physicians are pushing the government to restrict marketing for use up to age 6.

"Cough and cold products pose genuine risks when given to children under the age of 6 with no associated benefit," Dr. Michael Shannon, professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, told the FDA panel.

Experts have grown alarmed by reports of deaths, seizures, hallucinations and other problems in some children who took the widely sold medicines.

Although the medicines have been widely sold for years, the FDA generally has not required companies to prove they work in children. Instead, data was extrapolated from adults...


Via Reuters

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