A top government health official is rejecting the idea of an immediate ban on cough and cold medicines for young children.

Instead, officials of the Food and Drug Administration told a public hearing they need more information on whether over-the-counter remedies are safe and effective for children between the ages of two and six.

A leading pediatricians' group wants a ban. But the FDA is concerned that it might just cause parents to give adult medicines to their children.

Dr. John Jenkins heads the FDA's Office of New Drugs. He says, "We do not want to do something that we think will have a positive impact, only to have an unintended negative."

But critics say the effectiveness of the over-the-counter cough and cold medicines in children younger than six has never been established. And they say problems with the drugs send thousands of kids to the emergency room every year.