If bad news came to your cousin last month, phenilefrina (a review by an FDA advisory panel concluded that it was no more effective than placebo) this week the focus is on pseudoefedrina. France’s drug regulatory body has launched a campaign to advise against the use of vasoconstrictors for colds that contain this compound and alarms have been raised.
The fact that pseudoephedrine is a active ingredient with risk of producing ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (heart attacks, strokes) with a low frequency is something that was already known and was described in its technical sheet.
What’s more, each of us can check it in the package insert of the decongestant we have at home (if it contains pseudoephedrine).
In summary: the potential risk of pseudoephedrine was already known and so far the benefit/risk balance of these medications has remained favorable.
The European Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee, which is made up of representatives of national agencies, began the review of safety data and the benefit/risk balance of medicines containing pseudoephedrine in February 2023.