No Prescription Needed: Zantac, the ulcer medicine...

No Prescription Needed: Zantac, the ulcer medicine that has become the world’s best-selling prescription drug, is about to go over-the-counter as a heartburn remedy. The Food and Drug Administration approved a nonprescription version of Zantac on Tuesday. Zantac 75 tablets, which are half the strength of the prescription version, will be on pharmacy shelves early next year, manufacturer Glaxo Wellcome said. It joins the $1-billion antacid market as the third of a class of medicines that block the stomach’s production of acid. Merck & Co.’s Pepcid and SmithKline Beecham’s Tagamet already are sold over-the-counter, both to treat heartburn and to prevent its being created. Zantac 75, however, is approved only to treat heartburn, not prevent it.