CHICAGO (Reuters) — Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth and other makers of infants' non-prescription cough and cold products are recalling certain medicines in the United States because of the danger of overdose, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association said Thursday.

Novartis and Prestige Brands Holdings are recalling their oral infant cough and cold medicines, as well, because data show that when the medicines are misused, it can lead to overdose, especially in children under the age of 2 years.

A spokeswoman for Consumer Healthcare, a trade association representing the makers of over-the-counter medicines, said overdoses have led to death and serious injury in rare instances.  Safety experts for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have urged the agency to consider a ban on these medicines for children under the age of 6 years.  Many say there is little evidence that these medicines are effective in such young children anyway and are calling for mandatory warning labels that say the medicines should not be used in children under 2 years of age.

RECALLED

The brands of cough and cold medicines that are being voluntarily withdrawn are: • Dimetapp Decongestant Plus Cough Infant Drops • Dimetapp Decongestant Infant Drops • Little Colds Decongestant Plus Cough • Little Colds Multi-Symptom Cold Formula • Pediacare Infant Drops Decongestant (containing pseudoephedrine) • Pediacare Infant Drops Decongestant & Cough (containing pseudoephedrine) • Pediacare Infant Dropper Decongestant (containing phenylephrine) • Pediacare Infant Dropper Long-Acting Cough • Pediacare Infant Dropper Decongestant & Cough (containing phenylephrine) • Robitussin Infant Cough DM Drops • Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips Decongestant • Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips Decongestant Plus Cough • Tylenol Concentrated Infants' Drops Plus Cold • Tylenol Concentrated Infants' Drops Plus Cold & Cough