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The leading decongestant used by millions of Americans looking for relief from a stuffy nose is no better than a dummy pill, according to government experts who reviewed the latest research on the long-questioned drug ingredient. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously on Tuesday against the effectiveness of the key drug found in popular versions of Sudafed, Dayquil and other medications stocked on store shelves. (Perrone, 9/12)

In the meantime, experts advised consumers not to panic or toss out all the drugs in their medicine cabinet. Even though the agency’s advisers have decided the ingredient, phenylephrine, doesn’t work to relieve nasal congestion when taken orally, it is not dangerous, and the products do contain other ingredients that will work to ease cold symptoms. ... “If you have a stuffy nose and you take this medicine, you will still have a stuffy nose,” said Dr. Leslie Hendeles, a pharmacist from the University of Florida in Gainesville who, along with colleagues, first petitioned the F.D.A. in 2007 to remove the drug from the market. (Jewett and Rabin, 9/12)

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CPHA) maintains that phenylephrine is effective and that the FDA's guidance could have significant "negative unintended consequences." Pulling drugs like Sudafed from store shelves would make it harder for consumers to treat mild illnesses, according to the industry trade group. Removing popular over-the-counter medications from the market would force some people "to find time to seek help from a pharmacist, doctor or clinic for an oral decongestant for a minor ailment they could otherwise self-treat," the group said in a statement before the determination was made. (Cerullo, 9/12)

The FDA found that phenylephrine, the primary ingredient in many over the counter decongestants, is ineffective. But what exactly is it? (Walrath-Holdridge, 9/12)