PacifiCare May Be Allergic to Drug Preferred by Plan

With a merger, you never know what you’re going to find.

A health plan that PacifiCare Health Systems Inc. inherited in its buyout of FHP International Corp. recently designated a controversial drug as a preferred treatment for allergies.

The drug--terfenadine--is the generic form of Seldane. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently proposed that Seldane be removed from the market because it has been linked to potentially fatal heart problems when taken with certain other drugs.

Susan Whyte Simon, a spokeswoman for Cypress-based PacifiCare, said FHP added terfenadine to its list of preferred drugs for its New Mexico plan members in January because, as a generic, it’s less expensive than branded drugs. An alternate drug, Allegra, which the manufacturer says has fewer side effects than Seldane, is available to plan members there if physicians receive special approval from the plan, she said.

Simon said it’s likely that PacifiCare will decide to designate Allegra as the preferred treatment for New Mexico plan members, though a decision hasn’t been made. PacifiCare is reviewing the list of preferred drugs for the FHP plans across the country that it recently acquired, she added.

Last August, PacifiCare dropped Seldane from its preferred list for members of its own plans and replaced it with Allegra, she said. The former FHP plan in California doesn’t include Allegra, Seldane or terfenadine on its preferred list.