Claritin
available to everyone now
By Kari Schneider
On-line Forty-Niner
The
Food and Drug Administration recently approved
the popular allergy remedy Claritin for
over-the-counter sales.
The
allergy drug has been approved for seasonal
allergic rhinitis ? a condition that is
responsible for runny noses, nasal congestion,
sneezing, and itchy noses, throats, eyes,
and ears.
According
to an FDA press release, Claritin’s approval
was based on the FDA’s criteria for determining
appropriate drugs for over-the-counter use
— the drug treats a condition that consumers
can diagnose and manage themselves.
Claritin
is argued to be safer than today’s over-the-counter
allergy drugs because it does not make users
drowsy.
Claritin
tablets and reditabs are also safe for children
ages 6 and up to use. The syrup version
is the only over-the-counter antihistamine
that is safe for children as young as 2
years old.
“The
public should have this available to them
because of the safety implications,”
said Alan Manack, registered pharmacist
for Cal State Long Beach’s Student Health
Center. “It does not cause drowsiness.”
Approximately
10 to 30 percent of adults in the United
States suffer from seasonal allergy symptoms.
Prescription-only
Claritin costs about $60 a month, plus the
cost of a doctor’s appointment. In Canada,
a month’s supply of nonprescription is about
$17.
For
CSULB students, the only effect Claritin
going over-the-counter will have is that
they will not have to see a doctor for a
prescription, said Manack.
Rite
Aid’s pharmacy will begin selling the over-the-counter
Claritin beginning Dec. 11, a package of
five tablets at 10 mg for $5.99.
Walgreen’s
pharmacy will begin selling Claritin for
$17.99 for 20 tablets.
The
Student Health Center is in the process
of changing Claritin from a prescription
drug to the over-the-counter list.
The
cost of Claritin as a prescription drug
is low enough, in the pharmacy that it going
over the counter will make it comparable
to what the drug is selling in the stores
for.
The
manufacturer, Schering-Plough Corp., at
first fought the switch because of money
issues. Insurance companies do not pay for
over-the-counter medicines.
People
with health insurance may be at a loss because
Claritin was a benefit; they could get a
month’s supply for the cost of a co-payment.
However,
for people without health insurance, Claritin
will be readily available for allergy sufferers.
Schering
Corp. was established in the late 1800s
as a United States subsidiary of the German-based
pharmaceutical and chemical company.
In
the 1980s to 1990s, Schering-Plough focused
on four therapeutic areas and excelled at
innovative approaches to treating diseases.
Their research enabled breakthroughs in
antihistamines, corticosteroids, antibiotics,
anti-invectives, and antiviral products.
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