Det nyhedsindslag Treasure nævner, snakkede muligvis om en doubleblind undersøgelse fra 2004, der viste at placebo medicinen faktisk virkede ligesågodt som dextromethorphan og diphenhydramine, industrien bag produkterne er surprise surprise uenige :
Kids' cough medicine no better than placebo
Study of OTC meds shows syrup is just as effective
Keay Davidson, Chronicle Science Writer
Thursday, July 8, 2004
Parents might be needlessly spending billions of dollars on certain over-the-counter cough medicines for their children and teenagers, as the drugs' commonest medicinal ingredients are no more effective than placebos, researchers say.
In a study of 100 youngsters with upper-respiratory infections, neither of two ingredients -- dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine - was more effective than a placebo in improving the kids' nighttime cough and sleep, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine scientists report in the current issue of the journal Pediatrics. The placebo was a syrup with no reputed medicinal value.
"This study ... questions whether over-the-counter medications have a place in the treatment of these illnesses for children," said Dr. Ian Paul, lead author of the Pediatrics article.
In response, drug industry representatives defended the effectiveness of their products. In a joint statement issued Wednesday by the industry's trade association in Washington, they also criticized the Penn State study's methodology.
The Penn State study relied on reports of children's symptoms made by their parents, although such accounts tend to be "subjective and imprecise," according to the statement by the trade association, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association of Washington, D.C. In addition, "the medicines in the study were not dispensed in doses according to label directions."
Dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine are found in many over-the-counter drugs for both adults and children. The Penn State study did not test, nor does it make any claims regarding, the effectiveness of such ingredients in cough medications for adults. Rather, the study assesses only the effectiveness of such ingredients in cough medications for children from 2 to 18 years of age who have upper respiratory-tract infections.
Specifically, the eight-member Penn State team tested dextromethorphan from the drug Benylin, manufactured by Parke Davis of Morris Plains, N.J., and diphenhydramine in the drug Diphen AF, made by Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals of Morton Grove, Ill.
To ensure the objectivity of the findings, study scientists did not learn which of the 100 children were receiving dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine or the placebo until the study was over. Such "double blind" testing is a common procedure in medical studies.
Ironically, the placebo syrup proved to be slightly more effective than the drugs in lessening the frequency of children's coughs, the study found. However, statistically speaking, there is "no significant difference between (drug) treatments" and the placebo, the Penn State team reports.
The trade association stands by its members' products, though: "Over-the- counter, or OTC, cough/cold products provide therapeutic relief to millions of consumers of all ages each year," says the trade association statement. "The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies worldwide support the use of over-the-counter cough/cold products containing dextromethorphan (DM) and diphenhydramine (DPH) for providing relief of coughs and other symptoms associated with the common cold, and studies support the efficacy of these ingredients."
E-mail Keay Davidson at
kdavidson@sfchronicle.com.
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