- CVS is voluntarily removing some of the most common cough and cold medications from its store shelves and will no longer sell them, a company spokesperson told CNBC Thursday.
- The company’s decision comes a month after a panel of FDA advisers unanimously determined that the main ingredient used in many over-the-counter cold and allergy medications does not actually work to clear up colds. Congested noses when taken orally.
- The FDA has not decided whether to ask drugmakers and retailers such as CVS to remove products containing oral phenylephrine from the market.
Cold and flu medications, including NyQuil, sit on store shelves in Miami on September 12, 2023.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
CVS is removing some of the most common cough and cold medications from its store shelves and will no longer sell them, a company spokesperson told CNBC on Thursday.
The company’s decision comes a month after a panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers unanimously determined that the main ingredient used in many popular over-the-counter cold and allergy medications does not does not actually clear nasal congestion when taken orally.
The FDA has not decided whether to ask drugmakers and retailers such as CVS to remove from the market products containing oral phenylephrine, a nasal decongestant found in versions of drugs such as NyQuil, Benadryl, Sudafed and Mucinex.
However, CVS is voluntarily removing from stores certain cough and cold medications that contain phenylephrine as the only active ingredient.
CVS is aware of the decision made by FDA advisors and will follow the agency’s instructions to ensure that products sold in the company’s stores comply with laws and regulations, the spokesperson said. They added that CVS stores will continue to offer other oral cough products and cold products to meet patient needs.
Oral products that contain phenylephrine as the sole active ingredient include Sudafed PE, which is marketed by Kenvue, a consumer health spinoff of Johnson & Johnson. Kenvue did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on CVS’s decision.
The Wall Street Journal first reported CVS’s decision on Thursday.
Completely removing oral phenylephrine from the market could affect CVS and other retail pharmacy chains, which make their revenue from selling over-the-counter cold and allergy pills.
Retail stores in the United States sold 242 million bottles of drugs containing phenylephrine last year, a 30% increase from 2021, according to data compiled by FDA staff. These bottles generated $1.8 billion in sales last year, according to the data.
Without oral phenylephrine, patients will also likely be forced to seek liquid and spray versions of the drugs or entirely new drugs, which were not included in the FDA advisors’ review.
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