The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed to remove oral phenylephrine, widely used in cold and cough syrups, as an active ingredient in over-the-counter drugs for nasal congestion, stating it is not effective,

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

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.