They also advised that those cough and colds medicines are better not to be taken by children under 6 years of age, contrary to the traditional belief that they necessarily don't take the place of seeing a trained medical professional.
According to Sean Hennessy, a University of Pennsylvania epidemiologist and Food and Drug Administration expert, "The data that we have now is they don't seem to work (in reference to medicines sold to treat common cold symptoms)."
"The recommendation applies to medicines containing one or more of the following ingredients: decongestants, antihistamines and antitussives. It doesn't apply to expectorants, though many of the medicines also contain that ingredient," the Associated Press reported.
FDA Director of Office on New Drugs meanwhile stressed "If the agency chose to restrict use in children 6 and under, that won't necessarily lead to a ban on the products. It might lead to labeling that says 'do not use."
He explained that as a rule, the FDA does not necessarily follow the advice of its panels of outside experts but most of the time it adheres to the said recommendation.
This recommendation by the panel came following separate votes on Friday where the panelists agreed that medicines be studied in children to determine if these really work.
