Phenylephrine is included in many cold and flu products, but a scientific panel last year found that it doesn't really do its job at "unstuffing" when taken by mouth.

Sudafed, Mucinex, Benadryl, Advil, Tylenol, Vicks, and Dimetapp. These popular brand names appear on oral decongestants that are staples of the cold and flu aisle in American drug stores, and yet many contain an ingredient that does not work as promised.

Common decongestants may soon be pulled from shelves. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Wednesday its proposal to halt use of oral phenylephrine, an ingredient found in many cough and cold medicines,

The US Food and Drug Administration announced a proposal to remove oral phenylephrine – a common ingredient in many popular over-the-counter decongestants – from the market, citing evidence that it doesn’t work.

The FDA proposed a ban on phenylephrine, a common decongestant found in cold and cough medications. Here’s why and a list of medicines with phenylephrine.