Health Canada to review U.S. panel’s conclusion that common decongestant doesn’t work – CTV
Sept. 18, 2023
Health Canada says it will review a declaration by American government experts who say a key ingredient in over-the-counter cold and allergy medications also available in this country does not work to get rid of nasal and sinus congestion.
Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously this week against the effectiveness of orally administered decongestant phenylephrine, found in medications such as Sudafed and DayQuil.
The FDA must still decide whether to revoke the over-the-counter designation for medications containing phenylephrine, meaning they may need to be removed from store shelves.
Phenylephrine became a common ingredient in cold and allergy medicines after a 2006 U.S. law banned over-the-counter sales of products that contain another type of decongestant called pseudoephedrine, which, in large quantities, can be used to make methamphetamine.
That version is kept behind pharmacy counters.
