United Kingdom

It's for the silliest reason as well, we stopped including psuedoephedrine in OTC cold meds because Theresa May government were concerned about people using it to make meth, with no evidence that people in the UK were using it to make meth...

You can still get pseudoephedrine but you have to request it at the pharmacy, as it's a pharmacy medication now.

So in reality no difference in terms of accessing it, if you really wanted to make meth, just means that most people can't get an effective decongestant when they're on their way to work...

There has been peer reviewed published papers a number years ago (nearly 10 iirc) that phenylephrine is no better than a placebo. It's not news and the stuff should be shelved with the homeopathy products.

but is still sold in the UK

Saline has an effect. It's minimal in the spray form. But any liquid that is safe can help a little. And at this time of year. Dehydration from fan heaters is a common cause.

So I'm not surprised the crap is sold. Just remember, boiled water with a tiny bit of salt will do as well. Often better.