June 30, 2009

ADELPHI, Md. (AP) -- Government experts are scheduled to vote on
whether Nyquil and other combination cold medications should be
pulled from the market to help curb deadly overdoses.

The Food and Drug Administration has assembled more than 35
experts for a two-day meeting to discuss and vote on ways to
prevent overdose with acetaminophen -- the pain-relieving,
fever-reducing ingredient in Tylenol and dozens of other
prescription and over-the-counter medications.

The FDA says that despite years of educational campaigns and
other federal actions, acetaminophen remains the leading cause of
liver failure in the U.S., sending 56,000 people to the emergency
room annually. There are about 200 acetaminophen-related deaths
each year.

Dr. Lee Simon of Harvard Medical School attended Monday's
meeting. He says while it's "very rare," such overdoses "can
happen to anybody."