CVS Health has withdrawn some cough and cold treatments containing ineffective ingredients

Certain cough and cold remedies that contain an ingredient that medical professionals and researchers have determined to be ineffective are being removed from CVS Health's inventory.

The chain of drug stores announced that it will discontinue a limited selection of oral decongestants with phenylephrine as the sole active component. In order to satisfy customer needs, CVS added that it will continue to offer "many other oral cough and cold products."

In the US, CVS Health operates over 9,000 stores. Walgreens, the company's main competitor nationwide, has not withdrawn any products.

According to a Walgreens spokesperson, the company is keeping an eye on the circumstances and working with suppliers and its clinical integrity office "on appropriate next steps."

After medications containing pseudoephedrine, an older ingredient, were repositioned behind pharmacy counters, phenylephrine took over as the primary ingredient in over-the-counter decongestants. The change was required by a 2006 law since pseudoephedrine can be illicitly converted into methamphetamine.

The original Sudafed and other medication versions are still accessible without a prescription.