Drug makers recall infant cold meds

You don't have to be a fortune-teller to have predicted this one: Today, several drug makers are recalling cold medicines for kids under 2 years. Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and Wyeth are among those pulling products from store shelves.

It's a voluntary withdrawal, based more on consumer misuse rather than dangers inherent in the drugs. But given that the FDA is all set to discuss kids' cough-and-cold remedies next week, it appears to be an effort to beat regulators to the punch. A voluntary move always looks better than a forced recall.

In August, the FDA warned parents against using the drugs in infants without a doctor's order. Two weeks ago, the agency released reviews of the meds, revealing that more than 100 kids had died, most often from unintentional overdose. Besides that, the American Academy of Pediatrics thinks they're ineffective in children under 6, and had been lobbying the FDA to tell parents so on drug labels.

- see J&J's release [1]
- check out the list [2] of meds to be withdrawn
- read the report [3] from in the Washington Post
[3]- see the article [4] from the Wall Street Journal

Related Article:
FDA to review OTC cough medicine safety. Report [5]

Read more on: FDA news [6] | OTC drugs [7]