Sudafed, Nurofen cold & flu and Day & Night Nurse could all be banned or become prescription only as medical regulators investigate links to two extremely rare but deadly brain disorders.
Officials are said to be reviewing evidence to see if the rules on selling the drug pseudoephedrine need to change.
Any changes would effect decongestants like Benylin, Nurofen cold & flu and Day & Night Nurse – some of the most common cold medicines used by Brits.
The sudden review has come about after health chiefs were left allegedly spooked after reports of patients suffering from two rare conditions as a result of the drug.
The Pharmaceutical Journal reported the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency were “reviewing available evidence” and the investigation would decide whether the rules around the pseudoephedrine-medicines needed to change.
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But Whitehall sources told the Mail Online that any change was unlikely.
The drug works by narrowing swollen blood vessels in the sinuses, which is what causes blocked noses but there are fears it could be linked to two disorders which can affect the brain.
Meanwhile, health chiefs at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) started their own review into the drug just a few weeks ago.
This comes “following concerns about the risk of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), conditions affecting blood vessels in the brain.”
A “small number of cases of PRES and RCVS”, officials didn’t confirm how many, linked to people taking pseudoephedrine-containing medicine triggered the review.
The two conditions lead to a reduced blood supply to the brain which can cause life-threatening complications and death.
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According to the NHS, PRES has a number of symptoms including headaches, vision problems, mental changes, seizures and even swelling on the brain.
The most telling symptom of RCVS is a severe “thunderclap” headache.
Pseudoephedrine-containing medicines are already known to have a very small risk of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases – this includes heart attacks and strokes.
Warnings about such issues are included in product information leaflets and there are sale restrictions in place on such drugs to stop too large an amount being sold at once.
However the drugs are sold and used daily almost without incident.
But what reportedly scared health chiefs into acting was the severity of the latest cases.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have been approached for comment.