While it is usually the major research institutions, aspiring biotechs and Big Pharma companies that produce the key research in the industry, there is nothing that says an over-the-counter drugmaker can't make significant discoveries as well. According to the Chinese news service Xinhua, Australian OTC producer AFT Pharmaceuticals has done just that. Research by the company published today in the New England Journal of Medicine says that there is a formulation issue with more than 1,300 cold and flu products used globally. It discovered that combining phenylephrine and paracetamol in cold and flu meds effectively doubles the level of phenylephrine from 10 mg to 20 mg, which can increase blood pressure. "Frankly this is a pretty big finding, with huge implications for this category of product, and it's reflected in the fact that the New England Journal of Medicine has published what we have found," AFT Pharmaceuticals Managing Director Hartley Atkinson said in a statement. Story | Research