Editing Pseudoephedrine (section)

===Manufacture of amphetamines===
Its membership in the [[substituted amphetamine|amphetamine]] class has made pseudoephedrine a sought-after [[Precursor (chemistry)|chemical precursor]] in the [[Clandestine chemistry|illicit manufacture]] of [[methamphetamine]] and [[methcathinone]].<ref name="GłowackaWiela-Hojeńska2021" /> As a result of the increasing regulatory restrictions on the sale and distribution of pseudoephedrine, pharmaceutical firms have reformulated medications to use alternative compounds, particularly [[phenylephrine]], even though its efficacy as an oral decongestant has been demonstrated to be indistinguishable from placebo.<ref name="pmid17264159">{{cite journal | vauthors = Hatton RC, Winterstein AG, McKelvey RP, Shuster J, Hendeles L | title = Efficacy and safety of oral phenylephrine: systematic review and meta-analysis | journal = The Annals of Pharmacotherapy | volume = 41 | issue = 3 | pages = 381–390 | date = March 2007 | pmid = 17264159 | doi = 10.1345/aph.1H679 | s2cid = 25627664 }}</ref>

In the United States, federal laws control the sale of pseudoephedrine-containing products.<ref name="FDA legal">{{cite web | title=Legal Requirements for the Sale and Purchase of Drug Products Containing Pseudoephedrine, Ephedrine, and Phenylpropanolamine | website=U.S. Food and Drug Administration | date=9 March 2006 | url=https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/legal-requirements-sale-and-purchase-drug-products-containing-pseudoephedrine-ephedrine-and | access-date=7 September 2023 | archive-date=25 December 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225071516/https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/legal-requirements-sale-and-purchase-drug-products-containing-pseudoephedrine-ephedrine-and | url-status=live }} {{PD-notice}}</ref><ref name="CMEA" /><ref name="MPPA" /> Retailers in the US have created corporate policies restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine-containing products.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pseudoephedrine Compliance|url=https://www.walgreens.com/topic/faq/questionandanswer.jsp?questionTierId=900002&faqId=1300052|website=Walgreens|access-date=24 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130161224/http://www.walgreens.com/topic/faq/questionandanswer.jsp?questionTierId=900002&faqId=1300052|archive-date=30 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Target Announces That All Products Containing Pseudoephedrine Will Be Placed Behind Pharmacy Counter|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/target-announces-that-all-products-containing-pseudoephedrine-will-be-placed-behind-pharmacy-counter-54327552.html|website=PRNewswire|access-date=24 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131060830/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/target-announces-that-all-products-containing-pseudoephedrine-will-be-placed-behind-pharmacy-counter-54327552.html|archive-date=31 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Their policies restrict sales by limiting purchase quantities and requiring a minimum age and government issued photographic identification.<ref name="CMEA" /><ref name="MPPA" /> These requirements are similar to and sometimes more stringent than existing law. Internationally, pseudoephedrine is listed as a [[United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances#List of controlled drug precursors|Table I precursor]] under the [[United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances]].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://www.incb.org/pdf/e/list/red.pdf |title=Microsoft Word - RedListE2007.doc |access-date=6 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227224025/http://www.incb.org/pdf/e/list/red.pdf |archive-date=27 February 2008 }}</ref>