Allergy Medicines

The Food and Drug Administration plans to remove some unapproved prescription cough, cold and allergy medicines now sitting on store shelves, the agency announced Wednesday. The products, which may be inappropriately labeled for use by infants and young children, could pose an unnecessary risk because they haven't been tested for safety and efficacy, the FDA said. Some may have risky ingredients, and others -- marketed as 'timed release' -- may release active ingredients too slowly, too quickly or inconsistently.

The Food and Drug Administration plans to remove some unapproved prescription cough, cold and allergy medicines now sitting on store shelves, the agency announced Wednesday. The products, which may be inappropriately labeled for use by infants and young children, could pose an unnecessary risk because they haven't been tested for safety and efficacy, the FDA said. Some may have risky ingredients, and others -- marketed as 'timed release' -- may release active ingredients too slowly, too quickly or inconsistently.

Schering-Plough Corp. has won long-awaited U.S. approval for the successor to its blockbuster allergy pill Claritin, but said it may have to pay as much as $500 million to resolve plant problems. The drug maker, which also warned Friday that its fourth-quarter earnings probably would be about 12% below Wall Street consensus expectations, said it was in negotiations with regulators to reach a consent decree.

Each time a proposal comes along that would diminish our privacy to further a social good, society's job is to ask whether that good outweighs another stricture on our lives. A proposed state database to track our purchases of various cold and allergy remedies is designed to cut down on illegal methamphetamine manufacture -- a well-intentioned attempt to fight back at a drug that has become a law enforcement nightmare. But this legislation is unlikely to achieve enough benefits to make its downsides worthwhile.

Even as prescription-only nasal treatments are helping many allergy sufferers manage their reaction to pollen, a new generation of medications is in the regulatory pipeline, awaiting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's scrutiny. Pollen, which contains semen spores, is what plants use to mate. But humans get in the way. The histamine released from mast cells, which line the skin and mucous membranes, causes the symptoms, which are specific to where the pollen lands.

Each time a proposal comes along that would diminish our privacy to further a social good, society's job is to ask whether that good outweighs another stricture on our lives. A proposed state database to track our purchases of various cold and allergy remedies is designed to cut down on illegal methamphetamine manufacture -- a well-intentioned attempt to fight back at a drug that has become a law enforcement nightmare. But this legislation is unlikely to achieve enough benefits to make its downsides worthwhile.

The state Senate has approved a plan to make Oregon the first state in the nation to require a prescription for many cold and allergy medicines, an attempt by lawmakers to shut down methamphetamine labs. The Senate voted 26-4 to approve the measure, which now returns to the House. Gov. Ted Kulongoski supports it.

Lawmakers took their final step Monday toward making Oregon the first state to require a doctor's prescription for many cold and allergy medicines as part of an effort to shut down methamphetamine labs. The House voted 57 to 2 to send the bill to Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who is expected to sign it into law this week. He has called the measure a major step in the fight against rampant methamphetamine use.

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider the standard for proving securities fraud, in a case involving a maker of asthma and allergy medicines. The stock of Dura Pharmaceuticals Inc., a unit of Ireland's Elan Corp., plummeted 47% in one day after the company announced in February 1998 that it expected lower revenue because of slower-than-expected sales of the antibiotic Ceclor CD.

The Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday that the cost of nonprescription medicines qualified for reimbursement from flexible spending accounts and other pretax health-care plans. IRS officials said the announcement in part reflects the increasing number of onetime prescription drugs that are now sold over the counter. While such a shift typically lowers the price of a drug, it may increase out-of-pocket costs because insurance no longer pays for it.

Schering-Plough Corp. has won long-awaited U.S. approval for the successor to its blockbuster allergy pill Claritin, but said it may have to pay as much as $500 million to resolve plant problems. The drug maker, which also warned Friday that its fourth-quarter earnings probably would be about 12% below Wall Street consensus expectations, said it was in negotiations with regulators to reach a consent decree.

Even as prescription-only nasal treatments are helping many allergy sufferers manage their reaction to pollen, a new generation of medications is in the regulatory pipeline, awaiting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's scrutiny. Pollen, which contains semen spores, is what plants use to mate. But humans get in the way. The histamine released from mast cells, which line the skin and mucous membranes, causes the symptoms, which are specific to where the pollen lands.

Doctors performed a follow-up operation on Alex Zanardi on Monday, saying the two-time CART champion was not out of danger after losing his legs in a crash. "In the moment, he's stable, don't get me wrong. But it could change at any moment," said Walter Schaffartzik, head of the team of doctors treating the 34-year-old Italian. "It's too early to say if he's out of danger. "But it's my impression that he's getting more stable."

Warner-Lambert Co. said Monday that it has completed its purchase of Glaxo Wellcome's 50% stake in the U.S. and European units of the companies' nonprescription drug venture for $900 million. The sale of Glaxo's interests in the venture in Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand is expected to be completed in the third quarter for an additional $150 million, bringing the total price Warner-Lambert will pay to $1.05 billion.