BBC Morning Live doctor explains if 'over the counter' cold medications could 'face ban'

Dr Oscar Duke has spoken on BBC Morning Live about the recent concerns surrounding a popular cold and flu component, as the US considers a ban on over-the-counter medications

Dr Oscar Duke sought to separate facts from fiction on BBC Morning Live today, amid concerns over the true impact of popular cold and flu medications. The London-based professional drew attention to a particular component known as 'phenylephrine', which is widely used as a nasal decongestant.

However, just last week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claimed that it does not work for its intended purpose when consumed orally, with officials now considering a ban. The authority reached this conclusion after a lengthy data review, casting doubt on the future of various over-the-counter drugs.

Patrizia Cavazzoni, MD, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), explained: "Based on our review of available data, and consistent with the advice of the advisory committee, we are taking this next step in the process to propose removing oral phenylephrine because it is not effective as a nasal decongestant."

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But what does this mean for Brits? Dr Duke stressed that issues with phenylephrine focus mainly on its ineffectiveness rather than safety, and mentioned that the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) hasn't signalled any fresh worries regarding the drug's risks.

On the BBC today, he explained: "So, we don't really know at the moment, I think we've often said that a lot of cold and flu remedies are kind of helping to mask things over whilst the virus burns its way out. Having plenty of fluid, really good nutritious food, maybe doing some steaming, honey and lemon - all of those kind of practical things that your grandma might have told you about were probably a good thing to do.

"Yes, things like paracetamol, and remember, lots of these cold and flu remedies do actually have other things in them as well as phenylephrine, and some of those things might help if you've got a headache, or if you've got pain, or a fever, then something like paracetamol is a really good option. So I think it's not anything to panic about, you may just find that it isn't actually making that much difference - that particular compound."

He added that the studies in question mostly examined the effects of phenylephrine when ingested orally, and that direct nasal spray application could be 'slightly different'. Reach has approached the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for further comment.