Cold medicines and young children

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel began two days of hearings to consider banning the sale of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for young children. Such a ban already has the support of safety experts at the FDA, who published a 365-page review last month that showed decongestants and antihistamines have been linked with 123 pediatric deaths since 1969. Many outside experts are also in favor of restricting children's access to cold remedies. Last Thursday, leading drug makers announced a voluntary withdrawal of oral cough and cold medicines marketed for use in infants.