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# FDA Reviewing Opioid Use for Treating Pediatric Coughs
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/fda-reviewing-opioid-use-for-treating-pediatric-coughs/
- Published: 2017-08-21T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T22:42:25.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5139424

FDA says it is carefully evaluating prescription opioid medications approved to treat cough in children, and it has planned a 9/11 Pediatric Advisory Committe meeting to discuss the topic and receive panel recommendations. “There are few more common decisions that parents and providers are asked to make than the question of how to appropriately treat a child’s cough and cold symptoms,” FDA commissioner **Scott Gottlieb** is quoted in a release as saying. “Sometimes symptoms can be severe enough that prescription medication is needed, but some of these medications pose their own risks – especially for younger children – because they may contain opioids. Other times medication might not be necessary at all.”

Panel members will discuss the use of prescription opioid products containing hydrocodone or codeine for treating cough in pediatric patients. The discussion will include current practice for treating pediatric coughs and benefit-risk considerations regarding the use of prescription opioid products, the agency says.

At a [roundtable](http://fda.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d834%2fA6-%3eLCE38%2b87%3e7-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=4528954&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=67988&Action=Follow+Link&ref=fdaweb.com) earlier this year, FDA heard from professional groups about using opioid cough suppressants in children. “Some of the key points focused on determining the right treatment based on the length and severity of the symptoms, as well as treating what’s causing the symptoms, rather than just quieting the cough,” it says. “And depending on the situation, representatives suggested that other medications or non-drug therapies may be more appropriate.”