Claritin Patent Is Extended for 6 Months

The wait for a cheaper, generic form of the world’s best-selling allergy drug, Claritin, just got a little longer. Drug maker Schering-Plough Corp. said the Food and Drug Administration has approved a six-month extension on its Claritin patent because the company performed tests of the drug on children. Congress a few years ago agreed to give pharmaceutical makers extended patents if they would test their medicines on children. The extra six months means the earliest a less-expensive version of Claritin could be launched is December 2002. Analysts said the extra six months could mean an additional $1 billion in Claritin sales for Schering-Plough. Claritin had $2.7 billion in sales last year, most of it in the United States. Shares of Schering-Plough rose $1.31 to close at $41.81 on the NYSE.