FDA accepts application for new combo drug for allergic rhinitis

KENNILWORTH, N.J. The Food and Drug Administration has accepted the application for review by Schering-Plough/Merck Pharmaceuticals for its new drug.

The medicine is a combination of loratadine and montelukast sodium, the ingredients found in Claritin and Singulair, respectively. The company is looking to market the drug as a treatment for allergic rhinitis symptoms in patients who want nasal congestion relief.

The drug would be helpful to the more than 50 million people who suffer from allergic rhinitis either seasonally or perennially.