An extensive review determined that the ingredient, oral phenylephrine, doesn’t actually relieve nasal congestion.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that it is proposing a new rule to stop the use of an ingredient in popular over-the-counter cold and allergy medications.

Cold and flu season is upon us and Americans will be flocking to pharmacy shelves to pick up some medicine to alleviate their symptoms. But the ingredients list on many of these products might start to look very different based on new guidance from the Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA says oral phenylephrine, used in many over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, "is not effective as a nasal decongestant."

(Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed to remove oral phenylephrine, widely used in cold and cough syrups, as an active ingredient in over-the-counter drugs for nasal congestion,

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing the removal from the market of a common ingredient found in most oral over-the-counter cold medicines because it doesn’t work.

After what the agency called a thorough review of the data, the Food and Drug Administration has proposed ending the use of an ingredient of many cold and allergy medications because it doesn't work.