{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Heartland Daily Podcast","title":"Consumers Have Spent Billions on Decongestants that Don’t Work","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1264,"description":"In this episode of Health Care News, we delve into the recent revelation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that certain over-the-counter decongestants, specifically those labeled with \"PE\" (phenylephrine), are no more effective than a placebo. Our guest, Dr. Jeffrey Singer, a practicing surgeon from Phoenix, Arizona, and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, sheds light on how these medications found their way onto store shelves.\nDr. Singer traces the issue back to the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act (CMEA), enacted 18 years ago in response to the methamphetamine crisis. This legislation pushed pseudoephedrine, an effective decongestant, behind the counter, leading drug companies to modify their formulas to include PE for over-the-counter sales.\n\nThroughout the episode, Dr. Singer discusses several key points:\nThe factors that led the FDA to reconsider its stance on over-the-counter decongestants.\nAn overview of different decongestant drugs and tips for consumers to differentiate them.\nThe process for purchasing pseudoephedrine, the effective decongestant.\nAn exploration of why the FDA initially overlooked the ineffectiveness of PE.\nThe sales strategies of drug manufacturers for OTC decongestants.\nEvaluating the CMEA's impact on the Meth epidemic.\nThe potential for a class-action lawsuit against this misleading practice.\nThe future: Is there a possibility that Congress will repeal the CMEA?\nFor further insights, don't miss Dr. Singer’s op-ed in Health Care News, linked in the episode description.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/2xLxMmPe28MnonUa9AciVxMi_Bu3CavKGZzqhK99mjE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzM2NzQzLzE2Njk4/Mzk1OTktYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}