NEW SUDAFED TO HELP FIGHT AGAINST METH

A major drug manufacturer is producing a new cold medication that
could make the number of methamphetamine crimes shrink and save police
some headaches.

A new form of Sudafed that does not contain pseudoephedrine is
expected to be delivered to retailers across the country sometime in
February. Pfizer Inc., which makes Sudafed, says it will market
Sudafed PE as an alternative to the regular product.

Pseudoephedrine extracted from cold medicine is a key ingredient in
making methamphetamine. Missouri has led the nation in the seizure of
meth-making labs since 2000.

"Hopefully it will supplant pseudoephedrine and it will go away,"
Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf said regarding Pfizer's new product.
"If it doesn't, then it will be one more thing that will help us out."

Instead of pseudoephedrine, Sudafed PE contains phenylephrine, said
Jay Kosminsky, a spokesman for Pfizer in Morris Plains, N.J.
Phenylephrine is not used in making meth.

Phenylephrine is not a new chemical, Kosminsky said. Pfizer has
marketed it successfully in Europe for several years, and is now
bringing it to the American market in response to concern over illegal
use of pseudoephedrine in methamphetamine production.

"We have done consumer testing that shows that the vast majority of
the public who are satisfied with Sudafed will be satisfied with
Sudafed PE," Kosminsky said.

Kosminsky said the cost of Sudafed PE would be comparable to regular
Sudafed.

Tougher drug laws

Introduction of the new medication comes as Missouri and most states
that border it are either proposing or have passed legislation making
any starch-based pill containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine a class
five restricted drug.

Only pharmacies would be able to sell such drugs, and customers would
have to show identification and sign for them. Restricting the pills
would make virtually inaccessible the key ingredient for making
methamphetamine.

Liquid and gel-cap forms of Sudafed would not be restricted because
law enforcement officers believe it is not as easy to extract
pseudoephedrine from those forms of cold medications.

Pfizer has no plans to pull regular Sudafed pills off the market, but
is offering Sudafed PE as another choice.

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan has been a driving force
behind getting legislation presented in Jefferson City to make
starch-based pseudoephedrine products a class five drug. Jordan has
said that there may be some opposition to the bill.

Kosminsky said he doesn't think Pfizer will oppose any state's
legislation, but the company will have some things to say. Pfizer
would prefer, he said, that the sale of cold medicines such as Sudafed
not be limited only to pharmacies, but also include large chain stores
or supermarkets that have shown an ability to keep products secure and
make the products more broadly available to people who really need
them.

Kosminsky added that Pfizer doesn't agree with keeping liquid medicine
and gel-caps readily available. He said that there are ways to extract
the pseudoephedrine from those forms, although it is more difficult.

"We have done extensive testing with law enforcement," he said. "The
fact is all these products can be converted."

Apparently, retailers associations are not yet opposing the proposed
legislation. Some retailers have already limited the number of
packages of cold medicine they put on the shelves and some have even
put products containing pseudoephedrine behind the counter. Taking
these products away from convenience stores and other small markets
may affect their profit, but there has been no organized opposition.

Jim Maurer, one of the owners of the Rhodes 101 stores, said
convenience stores tend to sell cold medicines such as Sudafed in
single-dose units instead of packages with 18 or 24 pills. Maurer said
the stores have complied with keeping the pills behind the counter
because they're trying to cooperate with law enforcement on the meth
situation. But still, he said, it's an inconvenience.

"The masses are being punished for the problems of a few again," he
said. "There are some people who truly have a legal use. It's a shame
they're the ones being penalized."

Maurer said he expects his distributors to bring Sudafed PE to Rhodes
101 stores when it becomes available. He said he is unaware of any
organized opposition among small retailers to taking the products
away, but at the same time he believes it should be available to
people who are buying it legally.

"We will follow whatever guidelines are put into effect," he said.