FDA cracks down on untested cold medicines

(AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration says it will remove roughly 500 unapproved cold and allergy medications from the market as part of an ongoing campaign cracking down on ineffective prescription medications.

The agency said manufactures of the unapproved drugs will have 90 days to cease production.

The FDA requires companies to submit all new prescription drugs for scientific review before they are launched. However, thousands of drugs actually predate the FDA's drug regulations, which were put in place in 1962. Those drugs were supposed to be evaluated over time, but many have escaped scrutiny.

"Removing these unapproved products from the market will reduce potential risks to consumers," said Dr. Deborah Autor, director of the FDA's Office of Compliance.

Autor said many doctors do not realizing they are prescribing unapproved drugs.

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