No Cold Medicines for Kids Under 4
The above headline comes from an October 8, 2008 Associated Press story and starts off by noting that drug companies are changing their recommendations related to giving cough and cold medicines to children under the age of four.
The change in recommendations by the drug companies came after pressure from pediatricians, consumer groups and lawmakers, who were asking the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban such products for children under the age of six. Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said, "The number one cause of problems is children getting into medicine for accidentally ingestion. We at FDA support these voluntary actions."
Baltimore's health commissioner, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein added his arguments in the AP article by stating, "There is no evidence that these products work in kids, and there is definitely evidence of serious side effects." He continued, "The 2- and 3-year-olds are definitely the highest risk."
Dr. Laura Herrera, a Baltimore family practitioner and mother of two also added her concerns in the article by noting, "The best thing a parent can do is comfort their children. Keeping them as comfortable as possible is certainly better than giving cough and cold medicines." Dr. Herrera a mother of a 6-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son, neither of whom have gotten cold medicines, went a step further by suggesting that parents should not give the medications to older children either. "They feel like they're doing good by giving these medications, but in some cases they could be doing more harm than good."
Some lawmakers have gotten involved in the argument and are asking for stronger action by the FDA. Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut said he will continue to pressure the FDA for an outright ban on the drugs for children under the age of 6. He said, "While I'm pleased to see that the drug companies are voluntarily taking some steps to ensure the safety and well being of our children, I am disappointed that the FDA has not followed the recommendations of its own advisory panel."
