Redundancy of Pharmacologic Ingredients in Over-the-Counter Nasal Sprays.
OTO Open. 2024 Oct-Dec; 8(4):e70022.OO

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate and determine the prevalence of ingredients in over-the-counter (OTC) nasal sprays.

Study Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Retail pharmacies.

Methods

An inventory of brand-name and generic OTC nasal sprays was recorded at five national pharmacy outlets in August 2023. Data regarding the active ingredients were collected on commercial websites, MedlinePlus and drugs.com, and frequency statistics were calculated.

Results

Five pharmacies were visited, at which 12 different brand names of nasal sprays were identified at multiple pharmacies. Nine brand names were associated with multiple formulations, accounting for 49 different products. The active ingredients included in our analysis were oxymetazoline, phenylephrine, fluticasone, triamcinolone, budesonide, azelastine, cromolyn sodium, and mometasone. Nasal decongestants had the greatest number of brand name formulations compared to intranasal steroids and antihistamine sprays which had limited choices. Products that included oxymetazoline were the most widely marketed drug (51 unique products) followed sodium chloride (40 unique products).

Conclusion

These findings suggest that there are widespread redundancies in the OTC nasal spray market. Clinician should be aware of the redundancy in OTC formulations and encourage patients to read the labels in order to make informed decisions regarding their use of OTC medications.

Links

PMC Free PDF

Authors+Show Affiliations

Trinh LN

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana USA.

Smith DK

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana USA.

McCoul ED

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana USA. Department of Otorhinolaryngology Ochsner Health New Orleans Louisiana USA.

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

39354953

Citation

Trinh, Lily N., et al. "Redundancy of Pharmacologic Ingredients in Over-the-Counter Nasal Sprays." OTO Open, vol. 8, no. 4, 2024, pp. e70022.

Trinh LN, Smith DK, McCoul ED. Redundancy of Pharmacologic Ingredients in Over-the-Counter Nasal Sprays. OTO Open. 2024;8(4):e70022.

Trinh, L. N., Smith, D. K., & McCoul, E. D. (2024). Redundancy of Pharmacologic Ingredients in Over-the-Counter Nasal Sprays. OTO Open, 8(4), e70022. https://doi.org/10.1002/oto2.70022

Trinh LN, Smith DK, McCoul ED. Redundancy of Pharmacologic Ingredients in Over-the-Counter Nasal Sprays. OTO Open. 2024 Oct-Dec;8(4):e70022. PubMed PMID: 39354953.

* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case

TY - JOUR T1 - Redundancy of Pharmacologic Ingredients in Over-the-Counter Nasal Sprays. AU - Trinh,Lily N, AU - Smith,Diandra K, AU - McCoul,Edward D, Y1 - 2024/09/30/ PY - 2024/08/26/received PY - 2024/09/14/accepted PY - 2024/10/2/medline PY - 2024/10/2/pubmed PY - 2024/10/2/entrez KW - antihistamine KW - corticosteroid KW - decongestant KW - nasal spray KW - over‐the‐counter medications KW - sinonasal medications SP - e70022 EP - e70022 JF - OTO open JO - OTO Open VL - 8 IS - 4 N2 - Objective: To evaluate and determine the prevalence of ingredients in over-the-counter (OTC) nasal sprays. Study Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Retail pharmacies. Methods: An inventory of brand-name and generic OTC nasal sprays was recorded at five national pharmacy outlets in August 2023. Data regarding the active ingredients were collected on commercial websites, MedlinePlus and drugs.com, and frequency statistics were calculated. Results: Five pharmacies were visited, at which 12 different brand names of nasal sprays were identified at multiple pharmacies. Nine brand names were associated with multiple formulations, accounting for 49 different products. The active ingredients included in our analysis were oxymetazoline, phenylephrine, fluticasone, triamcinolone, budesonide, azelastine, cromolyn sodium, and mometasone. Nasal decongestants had the greatest number of brand name formulations compared to intranasal steroids and antihistamine sprays which had limited choices. Products that included oxymetazoline were the most widely marketed drug (51 unique products) followed sodium chloride (40 unique products). Conclusion: These findings suggest that there are widespread redundancies in the OTC nasal spray market. Clinician should be aware of the redundancy in OTC formulations and encourage patients to read the labels in order to make informed decisions regarding their use of OTC medications. SN - 2473-974X UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/39354953/Redundancy_of_Pharmacologic_Ingredients_in_Over-the-Counter_Nasal_Sprays. DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -

Tags

Redundancy of Pharmacologic Ingredients in Over-the-Counter Nasal Sprays.OTO Open. 2024 Oct-Dec; 8(4):e70022.OO