Drugmakers are in a quandary over how to get the most mileage out of their profitable allergy drugs, weighing whether 3 years of exclusivity on over-the-counter sales would stem competition from generics.
Last year, the drugmakers opposed a petition to move such popular medicines as Schering-Plough Corp.'s Claritin to over-the-counter status.
But some analysts believe their resistance was just a smoke screen until the companies take the drugs out of the pharmacy's domain and onto drugstore shelves.
Such a move to make allergy drugs available to the public without a doctor's prescription could be initiated by companies rather than by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), although the agency would still have to clear the switch.
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Normally, when allergy sufferers seek relief, they need a prescription to get antihistamines like Claritin, which costs $65 per month or more with a prescription.
But consumers could soon face an unusual choice -- either grab cheaper and more convenient Claritin from a drugstore shelf, or go to the doctor and obtain a prescription for an even cheaper generic version. Schering-Plough might be able to soften the blow from generic competition by opting to be the sole manufacturer of Claritin for over-the-counter sales.
Pfizer Inc. could make similar moves with their Zyrtec and Allegra drugs. Officials at Pfizer and Aventis said the firms oppose a forced switch by the FDA, but neither company would comment on their own possible plans to initiate it.
The main US patent for Zyrtec does not expire until 2007, and Allegra is already facing legal challenges from generics, but analysts do not expect copycats until late 2003 or 2004.
Reuters March 7, 2002 New York
The generic name of Claritin is loratadine. In 1985 I was involved in a clinical trial providing the as yet unapproved drug for some of my patients. It worked quite nicely, was only once a day, and seemed to be better than Seldane which was the first popular drowsy free prescription anti-histamine.
In 1985 I was absolutely clueless about natural therapies that could control allergies without any medication.
I did not realize that following the eating plan that I would eventually develop was the initial step in improving allergies for most people.
I did not realize that improving the good bacteria concentration in one's gut had a major influence in allergies, especially developing them in the first place.
If one has mild allergies that are only a problem for a few weeks of the year, allergy supplements containing quercitin are particularly helpful. I use an effective preparation from Ortho Molecular called D'Hist that has high levels of quercitin.
However, if the allergies are severe, my staff uses a variety of muscle testing techniques to identify and help remove the allergies.
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