New guidelines nix OTC cough meds

Parents roam pharmacy aisles during the winter season of coughs and colds looking for El Dorado: a nonprescription cure for their child's ailment. After a review of 10 years' worth of evidence, however, the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) has concluded that most over-the-counter remedies are of no help for a common cold and its associated cough. Here is what a new ACCP clinical practice guidelines advise: