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Article: FDA Approves Over-Counter Pain Reliever
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- January 12, 1994
- Author:
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The Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday that it has
approved the first new over-the-counter pain reliever in a decade,
even though advisory panels last year recommended against allowing
it to be sold without a prescription.
The drug, naproxen sodium, has been available in various
prescription forms since 1976 under the trade names Naprosyn and
Anaprox and is commonly prescribed to treat arthritis. It is the
best-selling drug in its class, according to the manufacturer,
Syntex Corp., with sales of $680 million in the United States in
fiscal 1993.
The FDA said the drug could be used like aspirin, acetaminophen
and ibuprofen to alleviate minor pain associated with headache, ...