October 20, 2023 – CVS Health is removing some nasal decongestants from its shelves after influential experts said this 12 months that an ingredient within the products was ineffective.
In September, FDA scientific advisers declared the drug phenylephrine doesn't work when taken orally, for instance in tablet form. The nasal spray type of phenylephrine remains to be considered effective.
CVS told the media that it’ll not sell oral nasal decongestants that contain phenylephrine as the only energetic ingredient.
“We are aware of the FDA Advisory Committee's position on oral phenylephrine (PE) and will follow FDA's guidance to ensure that the products we sell comply with all laws and regulations,” CVS said in an announcement to CNN reported.
A Walgreens spokesperson said The Associated Press that the corporate is monitoring the situation along with its clinical and delivery partners.
The FDA took no motion on phenylephrine after the advisory committee meeting.
The American Academy of Family Physicians called the committee's findings unsurprising, noting that the effectiveness of oral phenylephrine has been questioned for a long time.
“Phenylephrine may be ineffective, but it is not dangerous in over-the-counter doses, and patients with cold symptoms may still receive some relief from the other ingredients in multi-product formulations,” the academy said in a report opinion.
Over-the-counter decongestants have commonly contained phenylephrine since 2006, when a brand new law required the decongestant pseudoephedrine to be kept behind pharmacy counters since it was used to illegally manufacture methamphetamine. A prescription will not be required to buy products containing pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine.