We spend a lot on over-the-counter cold and flu remedies — more than £250 million a year in the UK alone — to tackle the misery of blocked noses, tickly coughs and sore throats.
But could we be wasting our money?
A ruling earlier this month by a panel of special advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — which oversees the use of medicines in the U.S. — has sent shockwaves through the multi-million-pound cold and flu product