Drug Makers Pull Infant Cold Medications

SAN FRANCISCO Oct.11, 2007 (KGO) (KGO) -- A warning to parents of children taking cold medicines as drug makers have voluntarily pulled infant cold medicines off the shelves.

Doctors like Heather Nye of UCSF are reminding parents cold medicines are risky for babies.

"We never ever recommend anything like the cold remedies, the cough remedies for babies less than two years old," says Nye.

The warning comes after the Food and Drug Administration found 54 children died from over-the-counter decongestant medicines and 69 died after taking antihistamines--the stuff to treat runny noses.

"The decongestants have cardiac effects and the antihistamines also have a number of effects in the body," says Robert Pantell M.D., UCSF Childrens Hospital.

What's surprising is these findings are not new. A medical care book we found mentions how in 1966, the FDA studied 400 over-the-counter drugs and found many of them to be less than effective and unsafe. Well-intentioned use of these products resulted in many deaths annually. Still, the FDA did nothing.

"The FDA is now having a meeting of one of its expert panels that will occur in October to again bring up this issue and to decide what type of labeling should take place," says Pantell.

San Francisco Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier wants all drug stores and supermarkets to display warning signs. The reason behind this is the labels often confuse parents because infant medications are concentrated, but childrens are not.

"What was happening was parents were believing that because they were giving their child, infant medication, they should give more to a toddler, so there were overdoses, accidental overdoses, but overdoses nonetheless," says Michela Alioto-Pier.

As a result, the FDA says there have been 1,500 emergency room visits in the past two years.

On Thursday afternoon, a three-member committee approved Alioto-Pier's proposal, which goes before the full board on October 23.

Other things doctors recommend include:

- Plenty of fluids and rest.
- Suction bulbs to gently clear infant's clogged noses
- A cool mist humidifier in the child's bedroom
- Chest creams made for infants

For A list of products pulled from shelves, click here.

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