A new CDC report was published online by Pediatrics magazine yesterday, revealling that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found that after drug manufacturers recalled all those infant cold medicine products from the marketplace, emergency rooms (ERs) across the country saw the number of visits by babies and infants up to 2 years old DROP BY HALF. (Read the full CDC report in Pediatrics here as a pdf download.)
Remember the Infant Cold Medicine Recalls?
Around three years ago (2007), after more and more chatter about the dangers of infant cold and cough over the counter medicines, there was a huge voluntary recall by the drug companies taking all the OTC medications for kids from newborn to 4 years old off the shelf.
Seems the Food & Drug Administration was becoming more and more suspicious that these children cold and cough medicines were harmful to the growing respiratory systems of tiny ones -- and issued its opinion that infants, babies, or toddlers shouldn't be given OTC cold and cough medicine. The FDA didn't recall, though: the companies voluntarily did this pulling of product - the FDA opinion came out MONTHS AFTER the companies recalled their products themselves.
Another Example of Our Message: Do Not Blindly Trust Over the Counter Medicines
These new CDC findings are important and worthy of our concern and consideration -- but the bigger message remains: Miami, drugs and medicines are simply products made and sold by big companies for a profit. You cannot blindly trust that they are safe. It's a fact proven time and again.
If you or a loved one has taken a prescription drug or over the counter medicine and you have a gut call that something's not right -- don't dismiss it. Get to a doctor or an ER and make sure that everything's okay, or get help if it's not.
And, once again, Miami -- there are laws out there that apply to bad drugs and greedy drug companies. Use them.
By on November 23, 2010 12:45 PM
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