Article: FDA advisers recommend changing prescription allergy drugs to over-the-counter status.(The Dallas Morning News)

GAITHERSBURG, Md. _ The Food and Drug Administration should move allergy drugs Claritin, Allegra and Zyrtec to over-the-counter status, the FDA's influential medical advisers concluded Friday despite vehement objections by the drugs' makers.

The votes are not binding on the federal agency, but it routinely accepts the guidance of its outside medical experts. If the FDA follows their advice, the pharmaceutical companies are sure to challenge the decision in court, analysts and legal experts said. That could delay any final action for years.

The request to classify the popular drugs over the counter is unprecedented because it was filed by a third party, a ...

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