Don't believe everything you read.
Especially if you're reading the bottles and boxes for kids cold medications, says a Quebec consumer group who has launched a class action lawsuit against eight major pharmaceutical companies that make cough and cold medication for children.
Option consommateurs says studies prove cough and cold medications are great for big kids (like adults), but not so great for kids under 6.
These are the companies the lawsuit names:
- Johnson & Johnson
- Novartis
- Pfizer
- Procter & Gamble
- Ratiopharm
- Wyeth
- Trillium
- Vita Health
"It's not new," said Stephanie Poulin, a lawyer for Option consommateurs. "We've retraced that since as long as 1997, that scientists stated that the cough and cold products are ineffective for children under 6 years old. This is the reason why we've filed this class action because we believe those companies promoted those products, led people to believe that they were effective."
The group is asking consumers to hold onto any packaging that looks like it is marketed for use for children, and to contact them with that information.
For more information, you can go to http://www.option-consommateurs.org/
