METH CRACKDOWN AFFECTS COLD SUFFERERS

Consumers could face a challenge this coming cold and flu season as
restrictions aimed at curbing methamphetamine abuse make it more difficult
to stock up on popular over-the-counter remedies.

But even as Congress considers legislation that would require retailers to
put cold medications with pseudoephedrine behind the counter, and
California already limits the purchase of such items, drugmakers are
scurrying to get reformulated remedies onto pharmacy and store shelves.

The newer cold medications -- expected to hit the market this fall -- are
slightly less effective than most products now available. Over time,
however, the new products could replace many of the medications consumers
have used for decades because their ingredients can't easily be used to
make methamphetamines.

One product, Sudafed PE, is already available, and as many as a half-dozen
other reformulated medications are expected soon. They will not contain
pseudoephedrine, the popular decongestant that has been used in many cold
and allergy medications such as NyQuil, Tylenol Flu and Claritin-D.
Pseudoephedrine is a key ingredient in producing methamphetamines when it's
boiled and mixed with household ingredients.

Some drug companies such as Pfizer, which manufactures Sudafed, plan to
continue offering both versions of their products indefinitely, while
others, including Procter & Gamble Co., which makes NyQuil and DayQuil,
said they would phase out all medications containing pseudoephedrine later
this year.

As abuse of methamphetamines has grown in recent years, most states have
enacted laws or are considering legislation to restrict products that
contain pseudoephedrine. California now limits people from buying more than
three packages of cold or allergy pills during each visit, and Oregon will
require consumers to get a prescription from a doctor before they can buy
over-the-counter cold medications next year.

Meanwhile, Congress is considering legislation that would require retailers
to put all cold medications containing the decongestant behind the counter
and have customers sign an inventory log and show a photo ID. Under the
bill, pseudoephedrine would be listed as a Schedule 5 narcotic and could be
sold only by a pharmacist.

Critics of strict restrictions on the sale of cold medications say they are
an overreaction to the methamphetamine problem. Several drugstore chains
have complained that the barriers are unfair to law-abiding customers and
retailers. They also point out that many users can find ways around the
laws. In states with daily limits such as California, they say,
methamphetamine users can leave one store and buy more at another, a tactic
known as "smurfing."

Mary Ann Wagner, spokeswoman for the National Association of Chain Drug
Stores in Alexandria, Va., said the group supports a national standard like
the one Congress is considering but fears requiring customers to fill out a
log would lead to longer lines and more work for pharmacists.

The group stresses other solutions. "We need to get at the bigger issue of
methamphetamine addiction and how to treat it," Wagner said.