Infant cold medicine recalled from store shelves
Just as fall sniffles begin to emerge from little ones, drug makers are pulling infant cold medicine from store shelves.
Pediatricians and medical experts are applauding the recent recall of these medications. They all agree that the potential risk and harm caused by these drugs outweigh any benefit of administering them.
“This is a good step in protecting the safety of children, particularly young children,” said Dr. Ian Paul, associate professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pa. “Kids under age 2 are our most vulnerable population… There is no proven benefit for any of these products, and some potential for side effects — and occasionally, serious side effects.”
Drug manufacturers voluntary withdrew these products, which are intended for children under 2, a week before a scheduled FDA meeting to debate on the future of these medications. The recall comes after reported deaths in recent years by inadvertent overdoses.
But companies like McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the maker of Tylonel and Pediacare brand products, maintained in a statement issued Thursday that the products are safe when used as directed.
There now remains the question of whether kids under 6 should ever be given these non-prescription drugs. For now, parents are going to have to find alternatives for those runny little noses.
