Findings Increase Schering Drug Delay

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found more problems with manufacturing practices at Schering-Plough Corp.’s four factories, further delaying the release of Clarinex, successor to the company’s highly profitable Claritin allergy medication.

The drug maker said reports based on inspections conducted in May and June at plants in Kenilworth and Union, N.J., and in Las Piedras and Manati, Puerto Rico, cited “some continuing and some additional deficiencies” in manufacturing practices. Earlier FDA inspections found deficiencies in production processes and controls.

Shares of Kenilworth, N.J.-based Schering-Plough fell $2.65 to $37.90 on the NYSE.