Toronto (OTL) - According to a new report, kids under the age of 4 should not be given over-the-counter cold medicines.
This comes after doctors and consumer advocates pushed to have the sale of these cold medicines banned for kids under the age of 6.
Regardless of low evidence that such over-the-counter remedies are actually helpful in curing cold symptoms in children, an estimated 10 percent of American kids are administered one or more cough and cold medications during a given week.
Another change will entail medicines which contain a monograph antihistamine - these will have a warning which states “do not use to make a child sleepy”.
The FDA has not though come out and stated whether or not kids under the age of 6 should be given the OTC cough and cold medicines.
The industry also said it is increasing an educational campaign intended at getting parents to be more careful about giving their kids cough and cold medicines.
Pediatricians who had petitioned the FDA about the ban on medication for children below 6 years were pleased with the announcement, though the age limit had been brought down by two years.