The company will launch the allergy drug in the US as an OTC in March 2011.
Sanofi-aventis Global Operations president Hanspeter Spek said leveraging their US Consumer Healthcare platform to convert prescription medicines to OTC products is a key growth driver for Sanofi-aventis to become a diversified healthcare company also in the US.
"The approval of Allegra for OTC use in the US further validates our vision to increase our presence in the US consumer healthcare market," Spek said.