Oral cold and flu medications that contain phenylephrine, a sinus decongestant, will be taken off the market in the United States. It is the decision of the authorities who found that the substance has an effect only if administered nasally. Therefore, this product will no longer be found among the active ingredients of common medicines such as Coldrex, Parasinus or Theraflu.
Certain medicines against flu and cold symptoms are not always effective. Archive
The US Food and Drug Administration announced a year ago that tablet phenylephrine is ineffective as a nasal decongestant. Recently, however, the final decision was made: to remove this compound from all oral cold, flu, cough, allergy and asthma medications. “Phenylephrine administered orally has little or no pharmacological effect”, is also the opinion of British pharmacists.
“Although it is absorbed into the blood, it is extensively broken down in the liver, resulting in little or no pharmacological effect,” said Dr. Hisham Al-Obaidi. In contrast, in the nasal spray, the substance is effective, says the British specialist: “When administered nasally, higher levels of the drug act directly on the mucosa, where it can more effectively constrict blood vessels and relieve congestion.” That’s why, he says, the oral version should be abandoned, which “has no effect, it’s a waste.”
Phenylephrine, very popular in America
Over the past nearly 20 years, the use of Phenylephrine medications has become increasingly popular in the United States as other prescription decongestants have become more difficult to obtain. Phenylephrine has been used as an oral decongestant for nearly five decades in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its use in over-the-counter medications in 1976.
