A Dallas product liability lawyer educates on the push for the FDA to enforce tighter restrictions of the sales of cold medicine for children. Medical experts urge the FDA to pull children’s cough and cold medications off the market or make them available only by prescription.
According to the Center for Disease Control, each year there are around 7,000 children under the age of 11 who are taken to emergency rooms after experiencing severe reactions to taking cough and cold medicines. Furthermore, it has been documented that two-thirds of those occurrences were the result of a child who drank the medication while unsupervised.
There have been as many as 800 cough and cold medications sold in the U.S. market. Reports from a market research firm called Information Resources; American companies sell about 95 million packages of pediatric cough and cold medications each year. Sadly enough, the FDA has actually never required proof from these companies that their products actually work in a safe and effective way. The studies and test are just simply not there.
Now, more than ever, health officials and medical professionals are urging the FDA to place limits on the various over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children, which are distributed by the millions across the globe. Officials have stated that they are considering limiting sales of products intended for children up to age 6. The FDA is considering stricter labeling and packaging requirements and possibly moving children’s cold medicines from buying over-the-counter to prescription sales only. With huge changes such as these, it will take a great effort and amount of time to ensure that our children are protected.
Contributor: Amy Witherite, Product Liability Lawyer Dallas
