Selling them over the counter would make them more easily available, but allergy sufferers would have to pay for the drugs themselves. That burden would shift to the allergy sufferer if the drugs were no longer sold by prescription. They may cost less than they do now, but it's going to cost the consumer a whole lot more out of his own pocket. Although their advertising stresses the drugs' safety, the companies argue that selling the medicines over the counter will not be as safe as prescribing them. Dr. Henry Fishman, an allergist who prescribes allergy drugs to his patients in the Washington, D.C., area, agrees.
Allergies are chronic illnesses.
They lead to sinus troubles, ear infections, and are associated with asthma. The drugmakers spend millions on ads that emphasize the safety and ease of taking their allergy pills. That is why the manufacturers are now in the difficult spot of arguing something quite different. They advertise these drugs to consumers as having side effects no greater than a sugar pill. The FDA's medical advisers will hear arguments on Friday.