As the common cold and flu become more common with the change in weather, the demand for over-the-counter medicines and decongestants increases. Back in September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that certain drugs will be pulled off shelves citing their inefficacy as a remedy. The administration's Nonprescription Drug Advisory Committee determined that phenylephrine, which is the main ingredient in many OTC medicines doesn't really work well as a nasal decongestant.
Recently, shoppers have claimed on social media that the latest drug to disappear from pharmacy shelves is Mucinex, an expectorant used to loosen congestion in the chest and throat. Outrage has erupted on social media as netizens express their woes. An X user claimed, “They are pulling Dayquil, Mucinex, Sudafed, Theraflu, and many others off the shelves. CVS has already started.”
One more said, “My daughter was recently sick and the doc said take Mucinex, but the FDA says Mucinex doesnt help with colds now? Something isn't right.” While the FDA hasn't officially asked the manufacturers and retailers to remove the medicines containing phenylephrine, many are convinced that there is a conspiracy which is not being addressed.
{{/usCountry}}One more said, “My daughter was recently sick and the doc said take Mucinex, but the FDA says Mucinex doesnt help with colds now? Something isn't right.” While the FDA hasn't officially asked the manufacturers and retailers to remove the medicines containing phenylephrine, many are convinced that there is a conspiracy which is not being addressed.
{{/usCountry}}In light of these allegations, a user noted, “Phenylephrine is worthless. It doesn't work & they never should've tried to pass it off as an alternative to pseudoephedrine. I know that stating facts on X isn't as fun as spreading conspiracy theories, but they aren't removing ALL cold medicine, just the medicine that contains Phenylephrine.”
The user added, “And almost all brands have versions with and without Phenylephrine. The version that doesn't have it, is the one you usually have to ask the pharmacist for bc it contains the actually effective pseudoephedrine.” They continued, “So, there's no conspiracy about CVS removing it. It's just yet another example of how the FDA knew from the start that it wasn't effective and foisted it on consumers anyway & will now act like it's looking out for us by removing it.”