After seismic US ruling on cold and flu drugs taken by millions, full list of products sold in UK with same ingredient

Got a stuffy nostril? Don’t rely on widespread over-the-counter cures.

For that’s the conclusion of US well being advisers, anyway, who declare dozens of cold and flu drugs are successfully ineffective decongestants. 

It might see oral meds containing phenylephrine pulled from cabinets on the opposite aspect of the Atlantic, in a historic transfer which might ship shockwaves via the multi-million-pound trade. 

But Brits battling the sniffles this winter can even purchase the same, seemingly ineffective, products right here. 

Brands like Sudafed, Benadryl, Lemsip and Beechams all promote the drug. 

Own-brand variations from the likes of Boots and LloydsPharmacy are additionally obtainable.

Many are sold with different lively components comparable to paracetamol, which might deal with signs which often strike on the same time as a stuffy nostril.

MailOnline has compiled the full list of all phenylephrine-containing oral medicines sold in the UK. App customers can view it by clicking right here.

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The ruling final month by a panel of particular advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — which oversees the use of medicines in the US — discovered phenylephrine ‘shouldn’t be efficient’ at commonplace and even excessive doses when taken in capsule or liquid type.

In nasal spray type, nevertheless, the reviewers stated that phenylephrine does appear to work as nearly all of the lively drugs lands the place it’s wanted. 

‘However, nasal decongestant sprays are efficient and work inside minutes and the decongestion lasts for eight hours.’

Professor Ron Eccles, who ran the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University earlier than retiring from the college in 2017, informed MailOnline: ‘Phenylephrine is an ineffective nasal decongestant when taken orally as a result of it’s metabolised in the intestine and liver earlier than it reaches the nostril. 

‘My view is that phenylephrine products must be discontinued in the UK as they don’t present any decongestion. 

‘However, nasal decongestant sprays are efficient and work inside minutes and the decongestion lasts for eight hours.’

Manufacturers declare phenylephrine eases nasal congestion by lowering swelling of the tiny blood vessels that sit contained in the nostrils, making extra space for air to cross via. 

But the FDA concluded taking the drug orally, which is the most typical method, means not sufficient reaches the nostril to have a significant impact as a result of a lot will get misplaced on the journey from the abdomen to the nostril. 

Taking it as a nasal spray ensures the drug is delivered straight in the nostril. 

Despite questions on efficacy, medicines taken orally containing phenylephrine have seen big worth hikes in the previous two years.

Earlier this month, evaluation of pricing knowledge from 10 retailers by Which?, found many products had doubled in price.

Lemsip’s flagship dissolvable max cold and flu sachets elevated from £3.50 to £5.50 at Asda and Morrisons — an increase of 57 per cent. 

Lemsip max day and evening cold and flu reduction capsules additionally noticed a hike of 57 per cent in Morrisons, up from £3.50 in 2021 to £5.50 in 2023. 

Sudafed’s blocked nostril and sinus capsules rose 64 per cent in Waitrose, from £3.20 in 2021 to £5.25 in 2023. 

Its sinus max power capsules noticed the most important hike of 86 per cent at Asda, the place it was priced at £5 this 12 months, up on the £2.69 in 2021. 

NHS watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), provides recommendation on orally-administered decongestants in basic. 

They ‘could relieve nasal congestion in the quick time period, however this impact doesn’t prolong previous just a few days, and the profit is comparatively small’, it advises.

Phenylephrine shouldn’t be talked about particularly in the steering, besides to say later it shouldn’t be given to kids underneath six.

A 2008 assessment by the MHRA discovered little proof they labored in children. It recognised, nevertheless, that like each drug it might probably trigger unwanted effects. 

Dr Alison Cave, MHRA chief security officer informed MailOnline: ‘Patient security is our high precedence. All obtainable knowledge is fastidiously thought of when authorising any drugs and we proceed to intently monitor all medicines for security and effectiveness following authorisation, to make sure the advantages outweigh any dangers.

‘There have been no new security considerations recognized with phenylephrine containing products and individuals can proceed to make use of as directed.

‘If you may have any considerations a couple of drugs you take, please search recommendation from a healthcare skilled.’

The Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB), which represents corporations making over-the-counter medicines, additionally insisted sufferers shouldn’t be involved by the FDA ruling.

Michelle Riddalls, its chief government, informed MailOnline: ‘Consumer security is paramount to our members, together with those that manufacture products containing phenylephrine. 

‘The products on the market right here, containing phenylephrine, are mixed with different lively components to supply the absolute best symptom reduction. 

‘These products type half of a well-established cough, cold and flu providing inside the UK. 

‘This ensures that these medicines can be found and simply accessible to permit shoppers to self-care and deal with these winter illnesses at residence at a time when the NHS is underneath an amazing deal of strain.’

A British Retail Consortium spokesperson informed MailOnline: ‘Retailers will observe all steering by the MHRA on points referring to the sale of medicines.’ 

A spokesperson for Superdrug additionally stated: ‘The MHRA, the UK regulatory physique, has not modified their place on phenylephrine and, as all the time, we’ll proceed to watch any suggestions or steering from them.’

The FDA’s personal ruling on phenylephrine, nevertheless, shouldn’t be the primary event questions have been raised over the effectiveness of over-the-counter cold cures. 

In 2014, the Cochrane Institute, which carries out the ‘gold commonplace’ of evidence-based critiques, discovered there was ‘no good proof for or in opposition to the effectiveness of over-the-counter medicines in acute cough’ in the UK. Phenylephrine meds have been among the many drugs included. 

The FDA ruling on phenylephrine doesn’t concern one other widespread decongestant — pseudoephedrine. 

Phenylephrine’s use boomed after products made with pseudoephedrine have been hit with restrictions in the UK in 2008 to forestall criminals turning it into the unlawful drug crystal meth. 

It is unlawful to promote or provide any product to Brits which accommodates greater than 720mg of pseudoephedrine and not using a prescription. 

But in February, the MHRA introduced it was ‘reviewing obtainable proof’ to see if their sale guidelines wanted to alter once more following security considerations. 

In exceptionally uncommon circumstances, this drug can set off posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) or reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), the medicines watchdog warned. 

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is finishing up its personal probe into the medication’s unwanted effects. 

The EMA is predicted to announce its investigation advice in December. The MHRA informed MailOnline it couldn’t share its timescale.

It comes because the UK medicines watchdog, in March, additionally ordered round 20 over-the-counter cough medicines — together with Day and Night Nurse and Boots Day Cold And Flu Relief — to be withdrawn from the market. 

Evidence was discovered that pholcodine, discovered in the cough syrups, might, in uncommon circumstances, trigger an allergic response if the consumer undergoes surgical procedure and wants a basic anaesthetic which entails the use of a muscle relaxant.     

While it harassed such reactions are extremely uncommon — affecting round one in 10,000 procedures — the assessment concluded the advantages of pholcodine-containing cough and cold medicines ‘don’t outweigh the elevated threat of the very uncommon occasion of anaphylaxis’.