Walgreens and McNeil-PPC (the parent company of Tylenol) are being sued by an Illinois woman whose infant son died after being given two separate medicines marketed for use on children.

Dimitria Alvarez alleges that the companies should have known of the dangers of the cough suppressant dextromethorphan. Slow metabolism can lead to a toxic buildup of the chemical, that there have been deaths associated with the ingredient's use in children. What’s more, its effectiveness on children has never been tested.

An FDA advisory panel recently recommended that the agency ban the marketing of cold medications to children under the age of 6. Walgreens has now voluntarily removed such medications, but this had not yet occurred when Alvarez' 4-month-old son Devon Mehlberg-Alvarez began sniffling and coughing on October 4 of 2007.