Cold Pills Could Be Yanked off the Shelf. An FDA Panel Just Ruled Some of Them Don’t Work.

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel has unanimously ruled against the effectiveness of phenylephrine, a commonly used decongestant found in popular cold medications like Sudafed and Allegra. This decision could potentially lead to the removal of these medications from store shelves. The panel’s evaluation was prompted by recent studies suggesting that phenylephrine doesn’t outperform placebo pills in treating congestion, and it concluded that current evidence doesn’t support the drug’s benefit.