Makers of OTC Cough and Cold Medicines Announce Voluntary Withdrawal of Oral Infant Medicines

Over at otcsafety.org they’ve posted, “On October 11, 2007 the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), on behalf of the leading makers of over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines, announced the voluntary withdrawal of oral infant cough and cold medications from store shelves.

“The voluntary withdrawal of OTC oral infant cough and cold medicines was initiated by the makers of those medications out of an abundance of caution. This was not a mandatory recall or a medicine safety issue.

“Kids’ OTC cough and cold medicines are both safe and effective when used correctly. Very rare cases of overdose from misuse, however, reportedly have occurred, particularly in infants less than two years of age, prompting the medicine makers’ precautionary action.

“Infants under the age of two are the most vulnerable to the consequences of this misuse.
The voluntary withdrawal only affects oral infant cough and cold medications. It does not affect any other children’s medicines.”

Oral OTC pediatric cough and cold medicines affected by this voluntary withdrawal are listed below.

• Click here to read more.
• Click on photo to see larger image.

This announcement was sent out in October 2007, and according to Des, a concerned mother from Dalton, MA, our local Target in Hadley, MA, has chosen to not participate in this voluntary withdrawal, seeing as many of these products are still on their shelves, as of 12/16/07.

The branded cough and cold medicines that are being voluntarily withdrawn are:

• Dimetapp® Decongestant Plus Cough Infant Drops
• Dimetapp® Decongestant Infant Drops
• Little Colds® Decongestant Plus Cough
• Little Colds® Multi-Symptom Cold Formula
• PEDIACARE® Infant Drops Decongestant (containing pseudoephedrine)
• PEDIACARE® Infant Drops Decongestant & Cough (containing pseudoephedrine)
• PEDIACARE® Infant Dropper Decongestant (containing phenylephrine)
• PEDIACARE® Infant Dropper Long-Acting Cough
• PEDIACARE® Infant Dropper Decongestant & Cough (containing phenylephrine)
• Robitussin® Infant Cough DM Drops
• Triaminic® Infant & Toddler Thin Strips® Decongestant
• Triaminic® Infant & Toddler Thin Strips® Decongestant Plus Cough
• TYLENOL® Concentrated Infants’ Drops Plus Cold
• TYLENOL® Concentrated Infants’ Drops Plus Cold & Cough
• Click here to read more.