GLAXO OPPOSES Rx-TO-OTC SWITCH OF ANTI-ASTHMA DRUGS "AT THIS TIME"
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
GLAXO OPPOSES Rx-TO-OTC SWITCH OF ANTI-ASTHMA DRUGS "AT THIS TIME" in Sept. 29 comments to FDA. Citing the potential for "mismanagement" of the disease should treatment become available over-the-counter, Glaxo stated that it "oppose[s] the availability of any anti-asthma medications on an OTC basis." The company argued that "in fact," OTC status of anti-asthma drugs "appears counter to NIH guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma." The National Institutes of Health guidelines, Glaxo maintained, "do not sanction self-directed therapy" since many patients may not "appropriately" treat their disease.