Approval for Schering-Plough drug
European pharmaceuticals regulators have approved Schering-Plough's new allergy drug, desloratadine, for hay fever treatment. The compound is a derivative of the active ingredient of the company's best-selling drug Clarityn, whose US patent expires next year, and will be sold under the brand names Aerius and Neoclarityn. The company is still awaiting FDA approval for the drug.