Generic Alavert

Is a Generic Version of Alavert Available?

Alavert^® (loratadine) and Alavert-D 12 Hour Allergy & Sinus (loratadine and pseudoephedrine sulfate) are non-prescription allergy medications. Alavert contains loratadine, a non-sedating antihistamine, and Alavert-D contains loratadine plus pseudoephedrine, a decongestant.

 

Brand-name Alavert and Alavert-D are made by Wyeth Consumer Healthcare. Generic versions of these medications are available. In fact, because Alavert and Alavert-D were not the first non-prescription loratadine or loratadine/pseudoephedrine medications, they could be considered generic versions of Claritin^® or Claritin-D^® (the original products).

 

Generic Non-Prescription Products

For prescription drugs, generic medications must undergo certain tests to compare them to brand-name medications. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) then looks at these tests to decide if the generic versions are equivalent to the brand-name medications and assigns a rating to each one. However, non-prescription products (including Alavert) are regulated differently, and no generic equivalence ratings are given. Therefore, it is usually impossible to say with certainty that a "generic" non-prescription medication is completely equivalent to the brand-name product.

 

However, the term "generic" is typically used to refer to any product that contains the same active ingredient in the same strength and in the same form as the brand-name product.