A guide to cough/cold products and ingredients.
Cough and cold medicines should not be given to children under six years of age in light of the limited evidence that these easily available medicines work in children and reports of side effects. Early this year, Medsafe (a part of the New Zealand Ministry of Health) formed the Cough and Cold Review Group (CCRG) to carry out a thorough review of the benefits and risks of these medicines for children. This followed advice by Canadian and UK authorities against their use in children under six. Medsafe’s CCRG included pharmacists, doctors, paediatricians and representatives from the New Zealand Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM), the Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee, Plunket, the pharmaceutical industry and the public. “Medsafe will work closely with manufacturers to implement the CCRG's recommendations as soon as possible,” Medsafe Group Manager Dr Stewart Jessamine said. "More information will be provided to healthcare professionals and consumers as the recommendations are implemented," he added.  “After full consideration of the data, the CCRG has recommended that oral cough and cold medicines should not be used in children under six with the exception of those containing only bromhexine,” CCRG Chair Andi Shirtcliffe said. “Our review found that the balance of risks and benefits for the use of these medicines in children under six is unfavourable,” Mrs Shirtcliffe cited. Further information on the CCRG recommendations can be found on the Medsafe website.