CMS on Claritin
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
"The switch of Claritin to OTC status simultaneously slowed overall sales of prescription drugs (before rebates) by .8 percentage points and sped up growth in OTC sales 4.4%, the highest rate of growth since 1999," according to a report issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of the Actuary Jan. 11. The switch of the Schering-Plough allergy remedy also factored into health plans' decision to increase co-payments for other non-sedating antihistamines, the report adds...