Children’s Cold & Cough Lawsuits
Even though the The FDA recommends that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines that have decongestants and antihistamines should have labels with instructions illustrating that they should not be given to very young children.
U.S. Government officials are reviewing the safety and efficacy of a number of over-the-counter children’s cough and cold medications in order to determine if they pose a threat. Many healthcare professional groups maintain that these drugs no only do not treat the symptoms of many common children’s ailments, but can also be dangerous to a broad cross section of young people. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 1,500 toddlers and babies had to receive emergency room treatment over two years due to these kinds of drugs.
In a response to a petition filed by the Baltimore city officials on Thursday, March 22, Dr. Charles Ganley, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Nonprescription Drug Products, stated, “We have been looking at this issue internally with regard to the safety and efficacy of the use of these products in children.” The new review covers decongestants, antihistamines, cough suppressants and expectorants.
Although the warning labels on products such as Tylenol Plus Cold & Cough and Infant Triaminic Thin Strips explicitly state that they parents should consult a doctor before giving medicine to children younger than two years old, the packaging of the same drugs uses languages such as “infant” or “baby” and also often portrays children of a much younger age than the recommended by the warnings.
In Maryland, where many of the sponsors of the petition reside, almost 900 children four years and younger suffered overdoses of cold medicines in 2004, and in Baltimore these products were linked to the deaths of at least four children over the past five years.
Startlingly, there have never been any conclusive studies that children’s cough and cold medications have any effect on the myriad common colds that strike children each year. This, along with the startling injury rate, promoted concerned citizens to speak up and demand new safety precautions for these common over-the-counter drugs.
If your child has been been harmed or has overdosed from taking any of the above listed medicines, please contact our defective drug lawyer today for a free review of the situation. Attorneys working to make sure these companies are issuing safe medicines.
