The FDA had proposed removing phenylephrine, a widely used ingredient to treat nasal congestion, from over-the-counter cold medications. Here's what you need to know.

The agency made the proposal after finding that the ingredient, known as oral phenylephrine, doesn’t relieve stuffy noses.

The FDA says oral phenylephrine, used in many over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, "is not effective as a nasal decongestant."

The US Food and Drug Administration has proposed to remove oral phenylephrine, widely used in cold and cough syrups.

After what the agency called a thorough review of the data, the Food and Drug Administration has proposed ending the use of an ingredient of many cold and allergy medications because it doesn't work.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to officially remove a popular ingredient in many cold and allergy medications – oral phenylephrine.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to remove from the market a common ingredient found in most oral over-the-counter cold medicines because it doesn’t work. The move brings FDA one step closer to getting products containing oral phenylephrine pulled from stores.