Actifed

Actifed is a registered trademark for a combination antihistamine and nasal decongestant medication used for cold and allergy symptoms. Developed in 1958 by Burroughs Wellcome & Company (now part of GlaxoSmithKline), the product was later acquired by Pfizer, and was most recently sold by Johnson & Johnson. The formula was changed in 2006 due to a change in the legal environment in the US. In the US, the product has been discontinued.

2006 formula change

The original formula for Actifed contained pseudoephedrine hydrochloride 60 mg as the nasal decongestant and triprolidine hydrochloride 2.5 mg as the antihistamine. However, in response to widespread laws requiring products containing pseudoephedrine to be kept behind the pharmacy counter, Pfizer changed Actifed's formula in late 2006 to contain chlorpheniramine maleate 4 mg as the antihistamine and phenylephrine HCl 10 mg as the nasal decongestant. Many users of the old formula have complained that the new formula is not as effective at relieving their symptoms. Other brands available behind the counter that use the old formula include Genac and Aprodine. The USA pharmacy chain Walgreens house-brand version of Actifed, Wal-Act, also continued to contain the original pseudoephedrine/ triprolidine formula, but as of April of 2009 Walgreens had discontinued its manufacture and identified it as an "inactive product" on their company web site.

In the UK, the product is still available as a pack of 12 tablets produced by McNeil. Each tablet contains Triprolidine hydrochloride 2.5mg and Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride 60mg and is a Pharmacy-only medicine.

Actifed is still available in Thailand as a pack of 12 tablets produced by Glaxo Smith Kline. Each tablet contains Triprolidine hydrochloride 2.5mg and Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride 60mg and is sold as an over the counter medication.

In Germany, the product is available under the registered trademark Rhino PRONT as a pack of 20 tablets produced by McNeil as well and with the same composition as in the UK above. Also in Germany this is a pharmacy-only medicine.

Apollo Missions

Actifed was included in the standard medical kit aboard the United States Apollo missions, and was used during Apollo 7 and Apollo 12 when crew members developed head cold symptoms. When Actifed was made available over-the-counter, former astronauts from the Apollo missions appeared in commercials promoting the product.