Washington, D.C. ? A top government health official Thursday rejected pediatricians’ calls for an immediate ban on over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for young children, saying it might cause unintended harm.

But Food and Drug Administration officials at a public hearing also said they were uncomfortable with the lack of solid scientific data to support continued use of OTC remedies with youngsters, particularly from ages 2-6.

A ban – as sought by leading pediatricians’ groups – might only drive parents to give adult medicines to their youngsters, said Dr. John Jenkins, who heads the FDA’s Office of New Drugs.

“That is a concern for us,” said Jenkins. “We do not want to do something that we think will have a positive impact, only to have an unintended negative. That could be an even worse situation.”

With a new cold season coming, pediatricians are urging the government to demand a recall of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children younger than 6. The effectiveness of the medicines in children was never proven, critics say, and problems with the drugs send thousands of kids to the emergency room every year.