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FDA OKs Over-the-Counter Claritin Sales

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government approved over-the-counter sales of the popular allergy remedy Claritin on Wednesday, a long-anticipated move that will save uninsured allergy sufferers money but prove more costly to those with prescription drug insurance plans.

The decision comes four years after a prominent insurance company petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to force Claritin's maker to sell it without a prescription here just like it long has in Canada.

Money aside, proponents of the switch argued that nondrowsy Claritin is safer than today's over-the-counter antihistamines that make people sleepy, very dangerous if they're driving.

Manufacturer Schering-Plough Corp. vehemently fought the switch at first, saying the insurance industry pushed the change because it doesn't pay for over-the-counter medicines — meaning insurers will save billions in drug costs as well as doctor fees.

But Claritin's patent expires in December, opening the drug to generic competition — so earlier this year, Schering grudgingly changed course and asked the FDA to allow Claritin to be sold next to the aspirin and cough syrup after all.

Today's prescription-only Claritin costs about $60 a month, plus the cost of a doctor's visit to get a prescription. Schering didn't immediately say what the over-the-counter version will cost, but in Canada, a month's supply of nonprescription Claritin is about $17.

For people without insurance that covers medications, that's a boon. But allergy sufferers used to a $10 or so insurance co-payment for their drugs would start paying more.

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