Claritin Maker Accused of False Advertising

Reuters Health news service reports on August 9, 2001 that The Prescription Access Litigation Project (PAL), a Boston advocacy group, announced that it has filed a class action lawsuit against Claritin maker Schering-Plout over deceptive direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising.

According to the complaint, Schering-Plough "falsely promises all Claritin purchasers complete relief from their allergy symptoms, without qualification, when in fact a large percent of Claritin users report no benefit at all."

The complaint goes on to say that the company's ads "effectively portray Claritin as the cure for everyone's allergy-related symptoms" even though Shering-Plough's "own studies indicate that Claritin does not work for between 50% and 55% of all potential customers."