Between the Lines of the Voluntary Ban on Cold Meds for Kids

Share Tags: FDA, GSK, Federal Government, Government, Jim Edwards Let's examine some of the positioning going on around the FDA's joint announcement with the Consumer Healthcare Products Association that drugstore cold and cough meds should not be given to kids. First, I was struck by GlaxoSmithKline's press release yesterday: "FDA hearing on kids' cold medicines spells greater confusion for parents." Er, does it? I thought it was pretty clear: the medicines should not be given to children younger than 4 years old. The beauty of the GSK statement -- or the cynicism, depending on your point of view -- lies in the headline. I can see why GSK thinks parents may be confused, but that isn't really the issue here. Overall, the headline comes across -- unintentionally? -- as a way for GSK to pour doubt on the wisdom of the FDA's... [read full story]