Big government is so comprehensively useless and needlessly intrusive that even when it does something that seems on the surface to be a good and needed measure, it all too often turns out to be just making matters worse. That was the case on Tuesday, when the FDA declared that phenylephrine, a decongestant found in popular brands including Sudafed PE and DayQuil, doesn’t work. It has actually been public knowledge for years that phenylephrine didn’t work, but the government previously forced it upon us by restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine, which does work but can be used to make meth. Penalizing law-abiding citizens in order to take ineffective measures against the manufacture of illicit drugs? That’s Washington all over.
MedPage Today reported Tuesday that “all 16 voting members of the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee at a meeting held on September 11 and 12 voted against the drug,” that is, phenylephrine, “being effective for nasal congestion when used as labeled.” The Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee is part of the FDA. But why was this ineffective drug being used in the first place? Because of the same FDA.
The FDA’s website still contains a page entitled “Legal Requirements for the Sale and Purchase of Drug Products Containing Pseudoephedrine, Ephedrine, and Phenylpropanolamine.” This page has apparently been there for quite some time, as it explains the significance of the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 as if it were a new measure. That act banned “over-the-counter sales of cold medicines that contain ingredients that are commonly used to make methamphetamine such as pseudoephedrine.” One could still get decongestants that contained pseudoephedrine, but only in limited amounts, as buying them in large amounts was considered to be a sign that someone was making meth.
In setting up this rule, the FDA openly stated that it was disregarding the health and well-being of ordinary, law-abiding Americans. The “Legal Requirements” webpage includes a Q&A that features this question: “I have chronic sinus problems. Will I be limited from getting the amount of pseudoephedrine I need?” The answer is brutally forthright: “Yes, with this new law there will be limits on the number of tablets of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or phenylpropanolamine that can be purchased in a 30-day period. As there are many different dosages and formulations of these products, you should ask your pharmacist how much you will be allowed to purchase over a 30-day period for specific product you use.” In other words, we don’t care if you’re suffering, you’re not going to get more than a trickle of pseudoephedrine. Blow your nose, peasant.