Healthwatch

Drug Companies: No Cold Medicines For Kids Under 4

WASHINGTON (WJZ) ― A major step has been made in the effort to eliminate the use of cough medicine in very young children.

Healthwatch reporter Kellye Lynn says drug manufacturers are now acknowledging that these over-the-counter medications are not suitable for children under four.

It's something that Baltimore's health commissioner and local pediatricians have been pushing for for several years.  Now drug manufacturers are heeding their message: over-the-counter cough and cold medicine should not be given to children in this age group.

Under pressure from the Food and Drug Administration and Baltimore doctors, the drug industry made a concession.  Makers of pediatric cough and cold medicine are now recommending parents not give the drugs to children under the age of four.

"I think the companies saying they're going to stop marketing to kids under four will hopefully help a lot of toddlers," said Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein.

"Variances in children's ability to absorb them, to take them correctly may cause bad outcomes.  I think the companies are concerned in younger children about them being used in the right manner," said Dr. Jonathan Field.

Dr. Sharfstein initiated the move to eliminate the use of the over-the- counter drugs in children under six.  While this latest decision doesn't extend that far, he calls it an important step.

"Ten percent of children in the U.S. use these products every week," he said.  "It's never been shown to work and can cause serious side effects, including death."

Side effects range from elevated blood pressure and heart rate to seizures and stroke.

The companies will also change their labels, warning parents not to give children antihistamines to help them sleep better. 

Dr. Sharfstein says when the Food and Drug Administration urged parents to stop using the drugs in children under the age of two, overdoses among kids in that age group dropped by more than 50%.

Even though the medications are not recommended for children under four, they will remain on store shelves.

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