Ban Lemsip because 'it doesn't work', say experts after US health chiefs propose pulling cold and flu remedies from chemist shelves

 Dozens of fashionable acold and flu remedies should beryllium pulled from Britain's shelves due to the fact that they don't work, experts urged today.

Yesterday, US wellness officials projected getting escaped of oral drugs containing the decongestant phenylephrine implicit concerns they are 'not effective' and a discarded of Americans' cash.

If accepted, it could see popular over-the-counter tablets and pills discontinued the different broadside of the Atlantic, successful a determination that would nonstop shockwaves done the multi-million lb industry. 

Now, experts are calling for the aforesaid to hap successful Britain, arguing that UK customers are being hoodwinked by the cause firms down the 'useless' medicines — which include Sudafed, Benadryl, Lemsip and Beechams.

But UK regulators garbage to instrumentality enactment arsenic they assertion 'no caller information concerns person been identified'.

Dr Leyla Hannbeck CEO of Independent Pharmacies Association told MailOnline: 'It is clip for our regulators to intervene and springiness their guidance to assistance each pharmacists marque the correctly informed nonrecreational decision.

'The statement astir the effectiveness of phenylephrine arsenic an oral decongestant has been going connected for immoderate clip and subject present seems to beryllium that it is not effectual portion determination are plentifulness of different products disposable for nasal congestion.'

The interest is circumstantial to oral formulations of phenylephrine alternatively than nasal sprays containing the ingredient, which outgo astir £5.

Professor Ron Eccles, who ran the Common Cold Centre astatine Cardiff University earlier retiring from the assemblage successful 2017, besides antecedently told MailOnline: 'When taken orally phenylephrine is an ineffective decongestant due to the fact that it is metabolised successful the gut and liver earlier it reaches the nose. 

'My presumption is that [oral] phenylephrine products should beryllium discontinued successful the UK arsenic they bash not supply immoderate decongestion. 

'However, nasal decongestant sprays are effectual and enactment wrong minutes and the decongestion effect lasts for 8 hours.'

Manufacturers assertion phenylephrine eases stuffy noses  by reducing swelling of the tiny humor vessels that beryllium wrong the nostrils, making much abstraction for aerial to walk through. 

NHS watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, states orally-administered decongestants 'may relieve nasal congestion successful the abbreviated term'.

However, this effect 'does not widen past a fewer days, and the payment is comparatively small'.

Other reviews person recovered that lone successful nasal spray form phenylephrine does look to work, arsenic it ensures the cause is delivered consecutive successful the nose. 

But, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which polices the information of drugs utilized successful Britain, contiguous confirmed it was not assessing the ingredient, given 'no caller information concerns person been identified'. 

Dr Alison Cave, MHRA main information serviceman told MailOnline: 'Patient information is our apical priority. 

'All disposable information is cautiously considered erstwhile authorising immoderate medicine and we proceed to intimately show each medicines for information and effectiveness pursuing authorisation, to guarantee the benefits outweigh immoderate risks.

'There person been nary caller information concerns identified with phenylephrine containing products and radical tin proceed to usage arsenic directed.

'If you person immoderate concerns astir a medicine you are taking, delight question proposal from a healthcare professional.'

The US Food and Drug Administration began reviewing the usage of phenylephrine successful March 2023.

Yesterday, Dr Patrizia Cavazzoni, manager of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said: 'It is the FDA's relation to guarantee that drugs are harmless and effective. 

'Based connected our reappraisal of disposable data, and accordant with the proposal of the advisory committee, we are taking this adjacent measurement successful the process to suggest removing oral phenylephrine due to the fact that it is not effectual arsenic a nasal decongestant.'

This is lone a 'proposed order' presently and volition not person an contiguous interaction connected the medications.

The FDA is present seeking nationalist sentiment connected the matter. 

Only then, if the reappraisal finds phenylephrine to beryllium ineffective, volition a last bid beryllium issued, removing it from over-the-counter medications. 

Yesterday, the FDA said it would then 'provide manufacturers with further clip to either reformulate oregon remove' their phenylephrine-only products from the market. 

They added: 'The projected bid is based connected effectiveness concerns, not connected information concerns.'

The FDA's phenylephrine proposal, however, is not the archetypal occasion questions person been raised implicit the effectiveness of over-the-counter acold remedies. 

In 2014, the Cochrane Institute, which carries retired the 'gold standard' of evidence-based reviews, recovered determination was 'no bully grounds for oregon against the effectiveness of implicit the antagonistic medicines successful acute cough' successful the UK. 

Phenylephrine meds were among the drugs included. 

In 2015, a study sponsored successful portion by the New Jersey-based pharmaceutical institution Merck & Co recovered the the 10 milligram dose, arsenic good arsenic 20, 30, oregon 40 milligram doses were 'not importantly amended than placebo astatine relieving nasal congestion' successful a illustration of 539 adults.