A Brisbane law firm has filed a class action against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson for allegedly selling “ineffective” cold and flu medicine to Australians.
JGA Saddler commenced proceedings in the Federal Court today against the company over oral cold and flu products it sold under the Codral, Sudafed and Benadryl brands in the past 18 years.
The medicines all contain the drug phenylephrine, which has been marketed and sold as a decongestant for many years and was marketed as a safer alternative to pseudoephedrine.
However, the drug’s effectiveness has been called into question, with the FDA moving to take it off the shelves in the US.
“On 20 December 2024 class action proceedings were commenced in the Federal Court of Australia against Johnson & Johnson Pacific Pty Ltd (Johnson & Johnson) alleging that Johnson & Johnson manufactured and distributed oral cold and flu products containing Phenylephrine under the Codral, Sudafed and Benadryl brands that are ineffective at relieving the symptoms of cold and flu they were marketed to treat,” JGA Saddler said of its legal action.
Members in this class action are people who bought these products containing phenylephrine between 2005 and December 2024 – the class action website is here.
