ates have not been imported into Taiwan, a Department of Health (DOH) official said yesterday. Liao Chi-chou, director of the DOH Bureau of Pharmaceutical Affairs, made the remarks after several U.S. drug manufacturers announced the recalls.
According to the results of a report issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention early this year, at least 1,500 children under the age of 2 suffered from complications after taking non-prescription cough and cold drugs.
In addition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) statistics show that at least 54 reported cases of child death involved the use of decongestant and another 69 cases involved the use of antihistamine. Both medicines can be used to relieve a runny or stuffy nose associated with a cold.
According to Liao, there are no problems with the medicines per se, adding that the problem stems from overdosing.
Liao noted that in the U.S., there are non-prescription medicines that can be easily purchased by the public at supermarkets.
As a result, American infants aged under 2 are often found to have been given excessive amounts of such drugs, Liao went on.
In Taiwan, Liao added, the DOH has not approved the sale of any cold medicine for children under the age of 3. He suggested that children under the age of 3 be taken to hospital if they catch a cold.
