The January/February 2013 Vitamins & Supplements Ingredient Guide breaks down the indication, ingredients, purpose and dosage of Centrum, One-A-Day, NatureMade, VitaFusion, Alive, VirMax-T, MoveFree, Bioglan and Voots products.

The November/December 2012 Cough, Cold and Flu Ingredient Guide breaks down the indication, ingredients, purpose and dosage of Mucinex, Vicks, Advil, Theraflu, Delsym, St. Joseph, Hyland's Similasan and Zicam products.

The July/August 2012 Pain Relief Ingredient Guide breaks down the indication, ingredients, purpose and dosage of Aleve, Advil, Bayer Advanced, Perform, Absorbine, Salonpas, Hyland's Leg Cramps ointment, Arnicare and BenGay Cold Therapy.

The May/June 2012 Skin/Itch Relief Ingredient Guide breaks down the indication, ingredients, purpose and dosage of Bio-Oil, AmLactin, Cetaphil Daily Advance, Zim's Crack Creme, Olay Advanced Healing, Curel Itch Defense, Benadryl Itch Relief Spray, Cortizone 10 and Neopsporin Eczema Essentials.

Clarinex (desloratadine), the next-generation prescription allergy remedy to the second-generation Claritin, is 1-of-3 blockbuster prescription medicines that may make the crossover from prescription-only to over-the-counter in the near future.

Perrigo last week announced that it has received final Food and Drug Administration approval for its generic prescription allergy remedy desloratadine 5 mg, the generic equivalent to Schering-Plough's Clarinex.

In the year leading up to the switch of Allegra, Sanofi generated $214.2 million in U.S. prescription sales of Allegra, largely due to the generic competition against its Allegra D formulation. Now Sanofi is looking to virtually match those annual sales figures within the much more profitable nonprescription venue with the company’s successful switch from prescription to OTC this spring. 


An over-the-counter version of the antihistamine Allegra hit the marketplace amid a promotional frenzy that was consistent with the approach taken when such similar products as Claritin and Zyrtec became available without a prescription. As was the case with other products before it, retailers are eager to get their share of sales, so there tends to be considerable activity around the launch.

Though Schering-Plough’s — now Merck’s — Claritin and Johnson & Johnson’s Zyrtec product lines have dominated the over-the-counter antihistamine market, the big share of the prescription antihistamine market held by Sanofi-Aventis’ Allegra (fexofenadine hydrochloride) could give it a battering ram to bust in as well, thanks to the big break Sanofi got in the form of a Food and Drug Administration approval of an OTC switch for the drug.

Claritin is teaming up with allergy sufferer and "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi around a...