The concerns about cough-and-cold meds for kids culminated Friday in an FDA advisory group vote against the products. The expert group concluded that there's not enough evidence that the drugs work--and plenty of evidence that they can be harmful--so they shouldn't be used in children under the age of 6.
The 13-to-9 decision was by no means unanimous, though. Some panelists believe parents depend on the drugs for help when a child is sick. Americans spend more than $300 million a year on these products. The agency probably will work with the industry to come up with a voluntary action plan, because formal proceedings could take years, FDA officials told the Washington Post.
- read the report from the Washington Post
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