The US Food and Drug Administration announced a proposal to remove oral phenylephrine – a common ingredient in many popular over-the-counter decongestants – from the market, citing evidence that it doesn’t work.

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, stating it is not effective,

In a long-sought move, the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday formally began the process of abandoning oral doses of a common over-the-counter decongestant, which the agency concluded last year is not effective at relieving stuffy noses.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to remove a common ingredient in nasal decongestants used by millions of Americans, citing data that shows it’s not effective. Oral phenylephrine is used in over-the-counter products like Sudafed and Dayquil to help temporarily relieve the common symptom of colds and allergies.

Ugh, that explains it! No wonder so many of us never felt better. More than 80 million people across the country deal with seasonal allergies. That’s 25 percent of the United States according to the Center for Disease Control,

When you're feeling under the weather, you likely grab your go-to cough and cold medicine. But are all the ingredients helping you fight off that cold?

The medicines will remain available for the time being, but the FDA has proposed an order, which CBS News reports will be open for comment until May 7, 2025. After that time, the agency is expected to give manufacturers time to remove or reformulate their products.