FDA votes to ban cold medicine under age 6

SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 19 (UPI) -- A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel voted Friday to recommend a ban on over-the-counter cough and cold medicine for children under the age of 6.

The panel voted unanimously to ban the products for children under the age of 2 and voted 13 to 9 to ban the products for children ages 2 to 5, The New York Times reported.

The vote came a week major drug makers agreed to withdraw more than a dozen products labeled for use in infants and babies.

Manufacturers say their medicines are effective and safe when used as directed, the newspaper said.