Article: CLARITIN GOES OVER THE COUNTER; DECISION TO EASE AVAILABILITY OF ALLERGY RELIEVER DRAWS FIRE.(CNY)(Column)

Byline: AMBER SMITH HEALTH NOTES

Claritin is appearing on store shelves throughout Central New York, at a little more than $1 per pill.

It's the first non-sedating allergy reliever available without a prescription, which may sound like progress in health care. But the president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology is more skeptical of the decision to make it available over the counter.

"The decisions are being made in the boardroom and not in the exam room, as to what's in the patients' best interest," Dr. William Berger told the Associated Press.

He suggests that health insurers pushed for the change because they ...

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