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Article: Claritin headed for drugstore shelves with FDA's OK. (Health Care).(U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve over the counter sales of Claritin)
- Article from:
- San Diego Business Journal
- Article date:
- December 9, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 CBJ, L.P. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Food and Drug Administration's decision to make the nation's best-selling allergy drug, Claritin, available over-the-counter is likely to bring big savings for the uninsured.
For people with health care coverage, however, the price of Claritin could rise substantially as insurers no longer cover the costs of the drug.
Since Kenilworth, N.J.-based drug maker Schering-Plough Corp. launched Claritin in 1993, it has amassed annual sales of $3 billion.
Uninsured patients now pay about $85 at the pharmacy for a month's supply of Claritin.
Analysts predict Schering-Plough will initially set the retail price for the over-the counter drug ...