Infant cough and cold medicines withdrawn

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A number of over-the-counter infant cough and cold medicines are being taken off store shelves over potential misuse of the drugs that could lead to overdose.

The withdrawals, which affect 14 different medicines, are not prompted by product safety concerns, but "rare patterns of misuse," said Linda Suydam, president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. "These medicines are - and always have been - safe at recommended doses," Suydam said.

The affected medicines include 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, Pediacare Infant Dropper Decongestant, Pediacare Infant Dropper Long-Acting Cough, Pediacare Infant Dropper Decongestant & Cough, 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 and Tylenol Concentrated Infants' Drops Plus Cold & Cough.

The withdrawals do not affect medicines for children over two years of age.

The companies affected include Johnson & Johnson (Charts, Fortune 500), the maker of Tylenol; Novartis (Charts), which makes Triaminic; Wyeth (Charts, Fortune 500), which owns the Robitussin and Dimetapp brands and Prestige Brands (Charts), the manufacturer of Little Colds products.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a trade group representing companies that manufacture and distribute over-the-counter medicines, said it plans to launch a campaign to educate parents and healthcare providers about the safe use of over-the-counter medicines in children.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee is slated to evaluate oral cough and cold medicines for infants and children on Oct. 18 and 19.