Phenylephrine, the main ingredient in many popular over-the-counter decongestants, including Sudafed PE and some NyQuil products, is ineffective, an FDA panel concluded recently. Here's what to know about the drug, including how it compares to pseudoephedrine, another nasal decongestant on the market.
The main ingredient in many popular over-the-counter decongestants, including Sudafed PE and some NyQuil products, is ineffective, an FDA panel concluded recently.
More than 240 FDA-approved products contain phenylephrine, which together grossed almost $1.8 billion last year, the committee said in a statement. Some of the more popular medications include Sudafed PE, some Nyquil products, and Advil congestion. Pseudoephedrine is also a nasal decongestant and works the same way that phenylephrine does: by relieving sinus congestion and pressure due to colds or allergies.
, a clinical pharmacist and assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, toldThat option was phenylephrine—but it didn't take long for researchers to question the drug's effectiveness.In 2007 paper, a team of researchers reviewed eight unpublished studies and found that phenylephrine didn’t appear to work any better as a decongestant than a placebo.
In its final statement released this month, the FDA advisory committee said it reviewed five studies conducted over the last decade and unanimously concluded that oral phenylephrine does not affect congestion. “For pharmacists, for physicians, pseudoephedrine is really the go-to recommendation,” he said. “But obviously, it comes with those additional regulations which have grown out of the concern for abuse.”
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