Avoid these Tablets they are very Dangerous - Facts Analysis

Story:

Avoid these tablets they are very dangerous
D cold
Vicks action- 500
Actified
Coldarin
Cosome
Nice
Nimulid
Cetrizet-D
They contain Phenyl- Propanol -Amide PPA Which Causes strokes, and these tablets are banned in U.S.

Analysis:

These messages were circulating since years through emails and social networks, asking people not to take the aforementioned tablets as they contain a dangerous chemical called Phenyl- Propanol -Amide PPA which is banned as it can cause strokes. The story however is half fact and half hoax. PPA actually stands for Phenylpropanolamine, not Phenyl- Propanol -Amide and it is a constituent of the these common drugs. It is a fact that PPA increases the chances of stroke among younger women, but the risk is very low. Out of hundreds of millions of people using these PPA drugs, only handful of such cases are reported. Therefore, the risk of using these medicines is pretty low. They can be taken under medical supervision whenever needed. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning in this respect and has presented guidelines that regulates the usage of these medicines under the supervision of doctors. This makes it easier for the doctors to prescribe these medicines safely whenever required. PPA (phenylpropanolamine) is not banned in US, but it is not sold without a prescription.

More importantly, FDA has taken steps over the years to remove PPA from all drugs and products and has also requested that all the drug companies should discontinue marketing the medical products containing phenylpropanolamine. In India, the drugs containing PPA were banned on 27 January 2011. FDA also recommends the consumers to read the labels of over the counter drug products before using them to determine if they contain PPA.