Over-the-Counter Sales of Claritin Affects Prescriptions, Prices

Some insurers have raised copayments for competing allergy medications since the FDA approved Schering-Plough's anti-allergen Claritin for over-the-counter sales, the AP/St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Some insurers now charge copays of $35 to $50 -- compared to $10 previously -- for a month's supply of prescription-only anti-allergens such as Allegra or Zyrtec, while other insurers require physicians to document that Claritin was ineffective before they will pay for other treatments, according to the AP/Pioneer Press. However, at about $1 per pill, Claritin costs "far less" for uninsured people than it had cost as a prescription drug, the AP/Pioneer Press reports. Loratadine, the chemical name for the generic version of Claritin, now sells for 65 to 80 cents per pill (Neergaard, AP/St. Paul Pioneer Press, 4/22). The FDA last November approved over-the-counter sales of Claritin. The over-the-counter cost is about $30 per month instead of about $85 per month for the prescription version (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 12/2/02). Last month, Schering-Plough reduced its earnings estimates by 25%, largely because of the loss of the patent for Claritin (Landers, Wall Street Journal, 3/6).