Nation not affected by US recall of infant medicine

The US recall of cough and cold products does not affect Taiwan because the government does not allow sales of nonprescription cough and cold medicine for children under the age of three, a Department of Health (DOH) official said yesterday.

Several makers of infant cough and cold products in the US, including Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth, Novartis and Prestige Brands Holding, recalled their products -- not because they were found to be defective -- but because there was growing evidence that some consumers were misusing the products, leading to serious complications and even death.

The products being recalled include Concentrated Tylenol Infants' Drops Plus Cold; Concentrated Infants' Tylenol Drops Plus Cold & Cough; Pediacare Infant Drops Decongestant; Pediacare Infant Drops Decongestant & Cough; Pediacare Infant Dropper Decongestant; Pediacare Infant Dropper Long-Acting Cough; and Pediacare Infant Dropper Decon-gestant & Cough products.

According to a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report earlier this year, at least 1,500 infants under the age of two suffered complications after being overdosed on cough and cold medicines in 2004 and 2005.

The US Food and Drug Administration data showed that between 1969 and last year, it received reports of 54 deaths associated with decongestants and 69 with antihistamines, both commonly contained in cough and cold medications.

Liao Chi-chou (廖繼州), director of pharmaceutical affairs, yesterday reiterated the DOH's warning to parents not to give infants under the age of three cough and cold medications unless prescribed by a doctor.

"Take your kids to the doctor if they are under the age of three and suffering from a cold," he said.

"It's easy to give kids too big a dose, especially when using droppers," he said. "Decongestants have a side-effect of increasing the heartbeat, while antihistamines can suppress breathing if too much is given."

In Taiwan, cough and cold medicines are neither classified as prescription nor over the counter medicines. They belong to a third category -- "instructed use medicines," meaning that their usage has to be directed either by a doctor or pharmacist.

"Your doctor will still prescribe medicine containing antihistamines and decongestants if that is what your child needs, but the dosage will be much more precise and your pharmacist will give you very clear instructions on how to give the medicine safely," Liao said.

There have not yet been any domestic reports of infants who have suffered from overdoses, he said.