Pubdate: Fri, 04 Feb 2005 Source: Manchester Times (TN) Copyright: Manchester Times 2005 Contact: http://www.manchestertimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1863 Author: Linda Barr Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) ALTERNATIVE TO SUDAFED MAY NOT CURB 'METH' PRODUCTION The release by a major drug company of an alternative to Sudafed may not necessarily curb meth production, but it could be a step in the right direction. In a move to offer an alternative to the decongestant Sudafed, which contains pseudoephedrine, an ingredient necessary in the production of methamphetamine, Phizer Inc. has announced that it would release Sudafed PE in the United States this month. The new alternative, just as effective in relieving congestion as its predecessor according to area pharmacists, contains the active ingredient phenylephrine, which cannot be converted into meth. Sudafed PE has been available in Phizer products in Europe since 2003, and state officials are questioning why it took so long to offer the new remedy in Tennessee, a state plagued by meth abuse. Local pharmacies have already begun placing Sudafed and other medications containing pseudoephedrine, or ephedrine, behind store counters, and have changed their practices to closely scrutinize purchases of these products. Tennessee leads the nation in meth lab seizures and accounts for three-quarters of all busts made in the south. According to figures released recently by the South/East Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force, Coffee County ranked seventh among Tennessee's 95 counties in the number of meth lab seizures from Jan. 1 2004 until October of the same year. Bradley County topped that list. Richard Randolph, a pharmacist at Marcrom's Pharmacy, said Phizer is utilizing the Sudafed name with Sudafed PE although the alternative does not contain the active ingredient found in its counterpart. "I bet you money, it will be a big mover," he said. The release of Sudafed PE may be a step in the right direction, but Randolph is not convinced that offering an alternative will "throw a cog in the wheel" of meth production. "I'm surprised it will be over the counter. I don't know of any other product over the counter containing this ingredient (phenylephrine)." Randolph said the active ingredients in Sudafed and Sudafed PE are the only two effective oral decongestants on the market. Pseudoephedrine, which can be converted into meth, is available in a myriad of other remedies (more than 4,000 products), such as Schering Plough's Claritin-D and Phizer's Actifed. He does believe that Sudafed will be moved behind store counters when the alternative is released. The clerks at Marcrom's know to watch for patterns of excessive purchases of all medications kept behind the counter. But Randolph is concerned any benefit from the Sudafed alternative would be short-lived, even if all the other drug companies follow suit. "The people are smart. They will find a way to get around it," he said. The pharmacy has already moved iodine behind the counter, the only other ingredient in the store that is commonly used in meth production. Billy Cook, the director of the Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, based out of the 14th Judicial District Attorney's office in Manchester, believes the only way to stop meth would be to outlaw production of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. About six years ago, he said phenylpropanolamine, the active ingredient in Dexatrim, also a decongestant, was pulled from the market due to its serious side effects. "Ephedrine is such a cheap, readily-sold product. It is marketed all across the country and there are so many different ways to purchase it. "I'll just have to sit back and watch and see what effect it has," Cook said. He said Tennessee is considering the passage of legislation that would force all ephedrine-containing products off the shelves and behind the counters in pharmacies. "I'm more hopeful for that. I think it would help a great deal. "The profit these drug companies make by selling it is so huge. And it does have a legitimate medical purpose. "If all the other companies follow suit, they'll (meth cookers) be ordering it off the Internet from Canada or Mexico," Cook said. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth