The Ministry of Health is reviewing the dosage of Phenylpropano-lamine (PPA) found in cough and cold medicines, following a warning on the drug issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration last week.
The Ministry said that a team of its inspectors has visited Corporate Area pharmacies and that the visits have confirmed that in keeping with its registration records, these drugs have between 6.25 milligrams to 12 milligrams (mg) of PPA per unit.
"Only one sustained action product contains 50 mg per unit. Less than five per cent of the cough and cold preparation approved for use in Jamaica contains PPA. The inspectors also confirmed the availability of a wide range of non-PPA drugs for cough and cold", the Ministry stated on Friday in a press release.
The Gleaner quoted the FDA, the U.S.'s drug regulatory body, as saying last Thursday that PPA, found in many preparations for colds and flu, was too unsafe to be freely available to consumers.
Phenylpropanolamine is a drug used mainly as a nasal decongestant, or combined with other agents for the symptomatic relief of cold symptoms e.g. stuffiness. Scientific literature indicates that the drug is relatively safe in low doses, the Ministry stated.
Side effects
The side effects of the drug include an increase in blood pressure (which would lead to cerebral haemorrhage), heart palpitation, lowered blood pressure, fainting, dizziness and headache. The drug also has the effect of suppressing the appetite, and has been used for this purpose.
However, the Ministry said that the risk of side effects increases with high dosages hence, its refused approval of a drug to be used for the suppression of appetite. The dose of 75mg was 300 per cent higher than the usual amount of 12-25mg mostly found in cough preparations.
The Ministry said that pharmacists routinely advise high-risk groups such as patients with hypertension against using preparations containing Phenylpropanolamine.
The Ministry is, therefore, warning any person who have obtained from abroad, products for weight loss containing Phenylpropanolamine e.g. Dexatrim, to discontinue usage.
It is advising the public to report adverse drug reactions to its customer service desk, telephone 1-888 CLIENTS as well as to their physicians.
