Cold medicines for small children under heavy scrutiny

With some child deaths recently from "overdoses" of a component found in many cough and cold medicines, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is likely to scrutinize and change things in the pharmaceutical industry as a result. Although cold medicines are used millions of times each year by parents without incident, brands like Wyeth's (NYSE: WYE) Dimetapp and Robitussin and Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE: JNJ) Pediacare are being looked at pretty harshly in light of recent problems.

A two-day meeting that concludes today will determine if the over-the-counter cold remedies are indeed safe for young children -- or if they should be sold under some kind of new rule. Although the drug industry says that these medicines are used 3.8 billion times per year with children, accidental overdoses of late that have claimed the lives of some children, and those parents need more education on the proper use of these products.