Actifed

Actifed is a registered trademark for a

combination antihistamine and nasal
decongestant medication used for cold
and allergy symptoms. Developed in
1958 by Burroughs Wellcome & Company
(now part of GlaxoSmithKline),[1] the
product was later acquired by Pfizer, and
was most recently sold by Johnson &
Johnson (Although GlaxoSmithKline still
owns Actifed brand in some countries).
In the U.S., the formula was changed in
2006 due to a change in the legal
environment; at the same time,
distribution of the product was limited to
certain stores. The United States Food
and Drug Administration, FDA, lists
Actifed as discontinued.

2006 U.S. formula change

The original formula for Actifed
contained pseudoephedrine
hydrochloride 60 mg as the nasal
decongestant and triprolidine
hydrochloride 2.5 mg as the
antihistamine. However, in response to
widespread laws requiring products
containing pseudoephedrine to be kept
behind the pharmacy counter, Pfizer
changed Actifed's U.S. formula in late
2006 to contain phenylephrine HCl 10 mg
as the nasal decongestant and
chlorpheniramine maleate 4 mg as the
antihistamine.[2] Many users of the old
formula have complained that the new
formula is not as effective at relieving
their symptoms. Other brands available
behind the counter that use the old
formula include Genac and Aprodine.
The American pharmacy chain
Walgreens produced a house-brand
version of Actifed, Wal-Act, which used
the original pseudoephedrine/triprolidine
formula.[3]
In the UK, Germany, and Italy the
formulation remained unchanged. The
product is available Over-the-counter as a
pack of 12 tablets produced by McNeil.
Each tablet contains Triprolidine
hydrochloride 2.5 mg and
Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride 60 mg.
Since 2012, Actifed is no longer available
in Thailand. Actifed as well as all drugs
with pseudoephedrine are now strictly
controlled under Thailand's narcotics
control law so it was withdrawn from the
market.

In Germany, the product is marketed

under the registered trademark Rhino
PRONT.[4]
Apollo missions
Actifed was included in the standard
medical kit aboard the United States
Apollo missions, and was used during
Apollo 7 and Apollo 12 when crew
members developed head cold
symptoms.[5] When Actifed was made
available over-the-counter, former
astronauts from the Apollo missions
appeared in commercials promoting the
product.[6]

References
1. "Our history - About GlaxoSmithKline" .
Archived from the original on 2011-06-
08. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
 2. "FAQ" . pfizerch.com. Archived from the
original on October 27, 2007.
3. "Walgreens Wal-Act Cold & Allergy
Medicine Tablets" .
4. Details of German product
5. SP-368 Biomedical Results of Apollo ,
NASA
. YouTube video of astronauts'
advertisement

External links
More information on drugs.com
FDA information on Actifed

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Actifed&oldid=981874749"

Last edited 7 months ago by Markbenecke

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