No Cold Medicine for Kids under 4

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-10-07-cold-medicines-kids_N.htm?csp=34
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Drug companies: No cold medicines for kids under 4 Open this result in new window
USA Today - 22 minutes ago
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 work in kids and worry about their safety.
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Drug companies: No cold medicines for kids under 4 Open this result in new window
San Francisco Chronicle - 36 minutes ago
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 work in kids and worry about their safety. The voluntary changes came less than a week after…
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Drug companies: No cold medicines for kids under 4 Open this result in new window
Quad-City Times - 1 hour, 39 minutes ago
UPDATED: WASHINGTON — Children under 4 should not be given over-the-counter cough and cold remedies, drug companies said today in a concession to pediatricians who doubt the drugs work in kids and worry about their safety.
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Drug companies: No cold medicines for kids under 4 Open this result in new window
The Pantagraph - 1 hour, 31 minutes ago
UPDATED 10:10 a.m. 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 work in kids and worry about their safety. | Warning highlights dangers of microwaves
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Drug companies: No cold medicines for kids under 4 Open this result in new window
The San Luis Obispo Tribune - 1 hour, 34 minutes ago
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 work in kids and worry about their safety. The voluntary changes came less than a week after federal health officials said they also saw little evidence that the drugs work, but feared that parents would give kids adult medicines if the …
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Industry Group: Cough, Cold Medicines Not For Kids Under 4 Open this result in new window
Fox News - 36 minutes ago
Industry Group: Cough, Cold Medicines Not For Kids Under 4
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No Cold Meds For Kids Under 4 Open this result in new window
CBS News - 1 hour, 9 minutes ago
Children under 4 should not be given cough and cold medicines, companies that make those products said in announcing new guidelines for their use. The industry has been criticized by pediatricians for marketing OTC remedies for children under 6.
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Drug Companies: No Cold Medicines for Kids Under 4 Open this result in new window
Fox News - 31 minutes ago
Children under 4 should not be given cough and cold medicines, companies that make those products said Tuesday in announcing new guidelines for their use.
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No cold medicines for kids under 4 Open this result in new window
KABC-TV Los Angeles - 5 minutes ago
Children under 4 should not be given over-the-counter cough and cold remedies.
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Drug companies: No cold medicines for kids under 4 Open this result in new window
Detroit News - 1 hour, 11 minutes ago
WASHINGTON — Children under 4 should not be given cough and cold medicines, the drug company industry said Tuesday in announcing new voluntary guidelines for such products.

Drug companies: No cold medicines for kids under 4
WASHINGTON (AP) — 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 work in kids and worry about their safety.

The voluntary changes came less than a week after federal health officials said they also saw little evidence that the drugs work, but feared that parents would give kids adult medicines if the products were taken off store shelves.

In addition, the drug makers said they will add a warning to their products that parents should not give children antihistamines to make them sleepy. These are allergy-relief substances 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 our of an abundance of caution,” she added. The new instructions will appear on products distributed for the coming cold season.

Pediatricians, who have been calling for a ban on marketing cough and cold remedies for children under 6, welcomed the shift by the industry.

“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 ranging from hives to unsteady walking. Many kids overdose by taking medicines when their parents are not looking.

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

“The 2- and 3-year-olds are definitely the highest risk,” said Sharfstein. “More than 50% 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 it could take a year or more for federal health officials to reach a final decision.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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