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FDA Expected To Rule Out Cold Medicine For Toddlers

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The Associated Press

Published: January 17, 2008

WASHINGTON - Parents should not give sniffling babies and toddlers over-the-counter cough and cold medicines - they're too risky for tots so small, the government is expected to declare today.

The Food and Drug Administration still has not decided whether the remedies are appropriate for older children to continue using, officials said.

Expect a decision on that by spring, the deadline necessary to notify manufacturers before they begin production for fall's cold season.

For now, the FDA is issuing a public health advisory to warn parents to avoid these drugs for children younger than 2 "because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur."

It's not the first warning about cold remedies and tots: Drug companies in October quit selling dozens of versions targeted specifically to babies and toddlers. That same month, the FDA's own scientific advisers voted that the drugs don't even work in small children and shouldn't be used in preschoolers, either - anyone younger than age 6.

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