Thompson on antihistamine switches
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson says he favors switching some low- and non-sedating antihistamines OTC. Speaking after a House committee hearing Feb. 6, he adds that progress has been made on the issue; FDA has reportedly sent its decision regarding a forced switch of Schering-Plough's Claritin, Aventis' Allegra and Pfizer's Zyrtec to Thompson's office (1"The Tan Sheet" Feb. 4, 2002, p. 3). Switch issue also appears to have attracted White House's attention; Mark McClellan, MD/PhD, health advisor to President Bush, says at American Enterprise Institute briefing Feb. 4 that "FDA has and will continue to look closely at OTC determination policies to see if there are ways we can improve patient safety while helping [keep] costs down"...
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