(AP/ABC News)
Although VapoRub is widely used to relieve cold and flu symptoms, there is little to no data suggesting that the product actually helps clear airways. This new study provides the first findings that suggest not only that the product doesn't help cold and flu patients, but that it may actually cause harm to some.
VapoRub has been known as a mainstay in many family medicine cabinets for years. In the past five years alone, Procter & Gamble shipped one billion units of the product globally.
According to Procter & Gamble spokesperson David Bernens, the market surveillance data obtained by the makers of Vicks does not coincide with the findings of this report. Bernens said they see only about three adverse events per one million units of Vicks VapoRub sold.
"For generations Vicks has been shown to be safe and effective if used in accordance with the instructions on the bottle," Bernens said. "Animal findings have unknown clinical relevance, and the safety of Vicks VapoRub has been shown in multiple clinical trials in over 1,000 children who were studied, ranging in age from one month old to 12 years old."
Still, most doctors said they don't recommend the widely-used remedy to patients.
"I don't suggest using VapoRub for any medical condition," said Dr. Curtis Stine, professor and associate chair in the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health at the Florida State University College of Medicine. "If a patient or parent asks about it, I generally tell them that though lots of people use VapoRub, I'm not aware of any studies that say it helps. I suspect now I will caution people that it's been shown to potentially be harmful."
Other doctors said the study may even cause VapoRub to be lumped in with other cough and cold medications that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deemed unsafe for children under the age of 2.
According to Dr. Diane Pappas, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, this study confirms that Vicks VapoRub, too, "should not be used in children under the age of two."
However, recommendations to skip the Vicks may seem strange to many parents who were treated with it when they were children. These parents likely view Vicks as a harmless remedy rather than a potent medication that should not be administered to young children.
"You have a generation of young adults and even their parents who used Vicks on themselves, so they are familiar with it," said Dr. Ira Rubin, a pediatrician at Naperville Pediatric Associates in Naperville, Ill. "In addition, the general feeling is that since you are not ingesting a chemical, what harm could it possibly cause?"
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