Actifed is a

registered trademark The registered trademark symbol, , is a typographic symbol that provides notice that the preceding word or symbol is a trademark or service mark that has been registered with a national trademark office. A trademark is a symbol, word, or wor ...

for a combination

antihistamine Antihistamines are drugs which treat allergic rhinitis, common cold, influenza, and other allergies. Typically, people take antihistamines as an inexpensive, generic (not patented) drug that can be bought without a prescription and provid ...

and

nasal decongestant A decongestant, or nasal decongestant, is a type of pharmaceutical drug that is used to relieve nasal congestion in the upper respiratory tract. The active ingredient in most decongestants is either pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine (the latter o ...

medication used for

cold Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

and

allergy Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...

symptoms. Actifed was developed in 1958 by Burroughs Wellcome & Company (now part of

GlaxoSmithKline GSK plc, formerly GlaxoSmithKline plc, is a British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with global headquarters in London, England. Established in 2000 by a merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. GSK is the ten ...

), later

Haleon Haleon plc is a British multinational consumer healthcare company with headquarters in Weybridge, England. It is the largest consumer healthcare business in the world, with brands including Sensodyne toothpaste, Panadol and Advil painkillers and ...

2006 U.S. formula change

The original formula for Actifed contained pseudoephedrine hydrochloride 60 mg as the nasal decongestant and

triprolidine Triprolidine is an over-the-counter antihistamine with anticholinergic properties. It is used to combat the symptoms associated with allergies and is sometimes combined with other cold medications designed to provide general relief for flu-like ...

hydrochloride 2.5 mg as the antihistamine. However, in response to widespread laws requiring products containing pseudoephedrine to be kept behind the pharmacy counter, Pfizer changed Actifed's U.S. formula in late 2006 to contain

phenylephrine Phenylephrine is a medication primarily used as a decongestant, to dilate the pupil, to increase blood pressure, and to relieve hemorrhoids. In the United States, it was previously used orally as an over-the-counter decongestant to relieve nas ...

HCl 10 mg as the nasal decongestant and

chlorpheniramine Chlorphenamine (CP, CPM), also known as chlorpheniramine, is an antihistamine used to treat the symptoms of allergic conditions such as allergic rhinitis (hay fever). It is taken by mouth. The medication takes effect within two hours and las ...

maleate 4 mg as the antihistamine before the product was reacquired by GSK. Many users of the old formula have complained that the new formula is not as effective at relieving their symptoms. Other brands available behind the counter that use the old formula include Genac and Aprodine. The American pharmacy chain

Walgreens Walgreen Company, d/b/a Walgreens, is an American company that operates the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States behind CVS Health. It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, a ...

produced a house-brand version of Actifed, Wal-Act, which used the original pseudoephedrine/triprolidine formula. In the UK, Germany, and Italy the formulation remained unchanged. The product is available

Over-the-counter Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid prescr ...

as a pack of 12 tablets produced by McNeil. Each tablet contains

Triprolidine hydrochloride Triprolidine is an over-the-counter antihistamine with anticholinergic properties. It is used to combat the symptoms associated with allergies and is sometimes combined with other cold medications designed to provide general relief for flu-like ...

2.5 mg and

Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride Pseudoephedrine (PSE) is a sympathomimetic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine chemical classes. It may be used as a nasal/sinus decongestant, as a stimulant, or as a wakefulness-promoting agent in higher doses. It was first character ...

60 mg. Since 2012, Actifed is no longer available in Thailand. Actifed as well as all drugs with pseudoephedrine are now strictly controlled under Thailand's narcotics control law so it was withdrawn from the market. In Germany, the product is marketed under the registered trademark RhinoPRONT.

Apollo missions

Actifed was included in the standard medical kit aboard the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Apollo missions, and was used during

Apollo 7 Apollo 7 (October 1122, 1968) was the first crewed flight in NASA's Apollo program, and saw the resumption of human spaceflight by the agency after the fire that killed the three Apollo 1 astronauts during a launch rehearsal test on Ja ...

and Apollo 12 when crew members developed head cold symptoms. When Actifed was made available over-the-counter, former astronauts from the Apollo missions appeared in commercials promoting the product.YouTube video of astronauts' advertisement
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References

External links

FDA information on Actifed
{{Haleon Haleon Combination drugs H1 receptor antagonists