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Drug companies: No cold medicines for kids under 4
By Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldivar
Associated Press
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Children under 4 should not be given over-the-counter cough and cold remedies, drug companies said Tuesday in a concession to pediatricians who doubt the drugs do much good and worry about risks. | Warning highlights dangers of microwaves

The voluntary change in advice to parents comes less than a week after federal health officials said they also saw little evidence that the drugs work. But government officials were afraid that taking the medicines off store shelves might prompt parents to give their children adult medicines.

The drug makers said they will also add a warning that parents should not give antihistamines to children to make them sleepy. These are allergy-relief medications often found in medicines that combine several ingredients to treat a variety of symptoms.

The new measures “reflect industry’s overall commitment to the continued safe and appropriate use of children’s oral OTC cough and cold medicines,” Linda Suydam, president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, said in announcing the changes on behalf of the companies.

“We are doing this voluntarily out of an abundance of caution,” she added. The new instructions will appear on products distributed for the coming cold season. Last year, the companies pulled medicines for babies and tots under 2 from the market.

Pediatricians, who have been calling for a ban on OTC cough and cold remedies for children under 6, welcomed the industry’s latest shift.

“It’s a huge step forward,” said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore’s health commissioner. “There is no evidence that these products work in kids, and there is definitely evidence of serious side effects.”

Problems with OTC cough and cold medicines send some 7,000 children to hospital emergency rooms each year, with symptoms including hives, drowsiness and unsteady walking. Many kids overdose by taking medicines when their parents aren’t looking.

Since a majority of the problems involve 2to 3-year-olds, the industry’s new instructions, if followed by parents, should help.

“The 2and 3-year-olds are definitely the highest risk,” said Sharfstein. “More than 50 percent of the problem is with these kids. “If they don’t have this stuff around the home, they’re less likely to grab it and ingest it.”

Pediatricians still support recalling the medicines for children under 6, and the Food and Drug Administration is studying their effectiveness for children under 12. But federal health officials said at a public hearing last week that it could take them a year or more to make a final decision and order changes.

Leading cough and cold brands include Dimetapp, Pediacare, Robitussin, Triaminic, Little Colds and versions of Tylenol that have ingredients to treat cold symptoms. U.S. families spend at least $287 million a year on cold remedies for kids, according to Nielsen Co. statistics that do not include Wal-Mart sales.

The industry also said it is expanding an educational campaign aimed at getting parents to be more careful about giving their kids cough and cold medicines.

Parents should never:

• Give adult medicines to a child.

• Give two or more medicines with the same ingredients at the same time.

• Give antihistamines to make a child sleepy.

Parents should:

• Give the exact recommended dose, using the measuring device that comes with the medicine.

• Keep OTC medicines out of sight and out of reach.

• Consult their doctor if they have any questions.

Colds usually clear up by themselves after a few days, and many doctors say rest and drinking plenty of fluids are all that’s needed.

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Reader comments on this story - 8 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

110100100 wrote on Oct 8, 2008 6:06 AM:

" So now they want us to get a prescription for a drug that probably doesn't even work. "

gkc wrote on Oct 7, 2008 8:59 PM:

" They have been talking about this for a long time and mostly because some parents can't handle reading directions. Are these parents going to be able to read directions on the prescription bottle? probably not. I know there has also been talk about how some kids react badly to it but some people react badly to nearly every medication. I saw an ad the other day where one of the side effects spouted off was DEATH! yikes! Taking it off the shelves won't solve the problem if you can still get a prescription from the doctor and I disagree that the symptoms go away with time. I have a kid with an immune system deficiency - do you have any idea what a cold does to a kid like that? I can't imagine if I had to go to the doctor for a prescription every time he had a sniffle - we were there on at least a monthly basis already. If we hadn't had OTC cold medicines EVERY single one of his colds would have ended up with a severe sinus infection and we had enough of that "

2tired wrote on Oct 7, 2008 3:58 PM:

" Danser61701 is exactly right, they want to sell more prescription drug, higher profit margin. "

Danser61701 wrote on Oct 7, 2008 1:26 PM:

" Well, well, well, no OTC, well then, I guess it to sell parents precriptions drugs for colds! "

Meh wrote on Oct 7, 2008 12:37 PM:

" Pseudoephidrine, in the right dose, works wonders. They took that off the market and replaced it with something that costs a lot more and doesn't work. What a joke. "

Dr.Orangutan Chief Cardiologist Miller Park Zoo wrote on Oct 7, 2008 11:56 AM:

" I recommend a teaspoon for 5 star Hennessy. "

Jon Stewart wrote on Oct 7, 2008 11:14 AM:

" My kids have lots of sinus trouble, and it helped both of them when they were young. But we actually got dosage info from the Dr and did not over-use or use it to put kids to sleep. I'll stock up if it is taken off shelves. "

OGS wrote on Oct 7, 2008 10:30 AM:

" Looking at the inserts of most pharmaceutical products and noting the myriad of side effects, it's a wonder that they even make it to market. More so it's a wonder that anyone even buys them. "
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