the invention discloses a pulsed - release formulation or a pharmaceutical composition comprising phenylephrine . the pharmaceutical composition comprises an immediate - release component and an enteric - coated component formulated together either in solid form or in a suspension . the enteric - coated component comprises microcrystals seeded with phenylephrine as an active ingredient and coated with a ph sensitive coating to delay release of the phenylephrine . the pharmaceutical composition can further comprise at least one active selected from the group consisting of an antihistamine , an analgesic , anti - pyretic , non - steroidal anti - inflammatory and mixtures of two or more said actives .