Content about Antihistamines

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.

Click here for the complete guide.

DENVER — UrgentRx will be adding an allergy relief product to its portfolio of on-the-go OTC solutions in October, the company recently announced.

The new product, called Allergy Attack Relief to Go and formulated with 25 mg of diphenhydramine, will be available as a raspberry-flavored powder that will retail for a suggested $1.39.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble on Monday officially announced the introduction of ZzzQuil, a sleep aid addition to its Vicks NyQuil and Vicks DayQuil brands.

“ZzzQuil not only helps reduce the time it takes for a person to fall asleep, but [also] allows them to sleep soundly so they can wake up rested and refreshed,” stated Dave Tomasi, marketing director of North America for Vicks. “It is a sleep-only solution that delivers effective relief to consumers suffering from occasional sleeplessness.”

The March/April 2012 Allergy Relief Ingredient Guide breaks down the indication, ingredients, purpose and dosage of Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec, Benadryl, Alavert, Advil Allergy Sinus, Chlor-Trimeton Allergy, Hyland's Seasonal Allergy Relief and Similasan Nasal Allergy Relief.

Click here for the complete guide.

SALT LAKE CITY — Zarbee's on Wednesday announced the launch of Zarbee's Nighttime Cough and Sleep Drink, an over-the-counter nighttime cough remedy.

Zarbee's Nighttime Cough and Sleep Drink is made from antioxidant-rich buckwheat honey, which recent clinical studies have shown is more effective at relieving coughs associated with colds and upper respiratory illnesses than dextromethorphan or diphenhydramine, the company claimed.

HYDERABAD, India — Dr. Reddy’s Labs on Tuesday announced that it has launched its over-the-counter fexofenadine and pseudoephedrine extended-release tablets.

Dr. Reddy’s will market the product, the equivalent to Allegra-D 24 Hour, under store-brand labels in the U.S. market, the company stated.

Quarterly sales of Allegra-D totaled $13.5 million for the 12 weeks ended Aug. 7, according to SymphonyIRI Group tabulating sales across food, drug and mass (minus Walmart) outlets.

NEW YORK — The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus on Tuesday determined Chattem, maker of the Allegra allergy relief medication, provided a reasonable basis for the claim that “only Allegra combines fast, non-drowsy, 24-hour relief.”

MADISON, Miss. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved two cough-cold medications made by Cypress Pharmaceutical, the company said Monday.

Cypress announced the approval of Zutripro (hydrocodone bitartrate, chlorpheniramine maleate and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride) and Rezira (hydrocodone bitartrate and pseudoephedrine). Both drugs are oral solutions and, because they contain the opioid hydrocodone, are classified as schedule III controlled substances by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Cypress subsidiary Hawthorn Pharmaceuticals will market the drugs.

PARIS — Sanofi-Aventis on Thursday reported strong sales out of the gate for its recently switched second-generation antihistamine Allegra.

Allegra generated in excess of $26.7 million within its first month available as a nonprescription allergy treatment in the U.S. market, becoming No. 2 in terms of dollar share of allergy, the company reported.

First-quarter sales of Sanofi’s Consumer Health Care totaled $1.1 billion, representing an increase of 40.3%.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Whoever named the genus to which ragweed plants belong “ambrosia” had a terrific sense of irony. The name, derived from Greek, refers to the food of the gods, but the plant is more like punishment from the gods, considering that it’s the main culprit in seasonal allergies.

(THE NEWS: Allergy season to last longer this year. For the full story, click here)

All the hype around H1N1 
that was so prevalent in 2009 is gone, leaving only the tough comparisons a year later. That makes the first half of the 
2010-2011 cough-cold season an H1N1 hangover with overall sales of $4.6 billion, representing a slight decline of 1.8%, for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 26, 2010, according to SymphonyIRI Group. What was missing in 2010 was the 2009 summer of sickness that reached a crescendo in September.