11.   FDA officials have said publicly that Claritin and competing allergy drugs could be safely sold without a prescription, the way hundreds of antihistamines already are.

12.   Genentech has applied to the FDA for approval of an asthma and allergy drug called Xolair developed with Novartis and Tanox Inc. of Houston.

13.   Hoechst AG said it has launched a campaign to encourage patients to switch from its allergy drug Seldane to a newer Hoechst product called Allegra.

14.   Hoechst AG said it has launched a campaign to encourage patients to switch from its non-patented allergy drug Seldane to a newer Hoechst product called Allegra.

15.   In the meantime, chief executive Tim Barberich said, the company will put on hold plans to ramp up operations to launch the allergy drug.

16.   It said a successor to its successful Claritin allergy drug would be delayed while the company made changes in its production process for the new drug, called Clarinex.

17.   It has spent more money on direct consumer advertising of its allergy drug, Claritin, than any other drug company has on a single drug.

18.   Its principal effort has been to persuade Congress to extend the patent on Claritin, its blockbuster allergy drug.

19.   One is a new allergy drug, another is an epilepsy medication and the third is a product to prevent heart seizures in people under anesthesia.

20.   One woman wanted to change her registration from Republican to Democrat because Republicans tried to extend the patent on the allergy drug Claritin.