Now I'm getting angry.
I called my allergist yesterday to ask about the Zyrtec syrup he had prescribed for Baby E's allergies, because I had read from several different sources that it contains corn-derived ingredients.
The allergist's nurse called Pfizer, the manufacturer of Zyrtec, and then called me back. She said they assured her that there were no corn or soy ingredients in Zyrtec syrup. However, it didn't seem that she'd checked on the sources of ingredients like glycerin that aren't called corn, but are usually derived from corn.
So I tracked down the 800 number myself and called Pfizer. After being put on hold and transferred numerous times, I finally got to ask my question. I asked if there were any corn- or soy-derived ingredients, specifically pointing out the often-problematic ones like glycerin and flavorings.
The "specialist" who helped me was able to tell me that there were no corn-derived ingredients in the sugar syrup. But he said that they DO NOT KNOW what is in the other ingredients, such as glycerin and flavorings, because they buy those from outside sources who do not disclose such information. It's "proprietary information".
So they don't know what's in their drugs, and they can't or won't find out.
###############
He told me that Pfizer has a disclaimer that they can't guarantee any of their medications are free from any allergen at all. I informed him that it could be a life-and-death matter for highly allergic people like my daughter, and he said "for patients like that we recommend that they be very careful about anything they take, and discuss it with their doctor" to decide whether it's worth the risk or not. But how can the doctor and patient make an informed decision if the drug company won't tell them whether the drug contains the thing they're allergic to?
All the package inserts say the medication is contraindicated for patients allergic to any of the ingredients. But when the ingredients are vague things like "flavorings" or "glycerin" that could come from any of many different sources, that's not much help. Not at all. They might as well just put "medicine" on the label and not say what's in it.
How in the world can a drug company NOT KNOW what's in the drugs they are making, and not be able or willing to find out? Most of the food companies I've talked to have been more than willing to contact their distibutors and ask if there are corn and/or soy in the products like glycerin and flavorings. The nutritionist at Trader Joe's is even researching what the goats eat that make the milk for the goat milk yogurt, to try to help me figure out why Baby E reacted immediately to it both times we tried it.
Even companies that don't disclose their formulas and consider their ingredients proprietary information have been more than willing to check on whether they contain a specific allergen. For the most part, they seem to actually care about helping us avoid an allergic reaction from consuming their products.
I'd like to write some letters or contact someone about this--it's just not right that a drug company would be unable/unwilling to disclose potential allergens in their products. Especially with a prescription medication intended to treat allergies, when you KNOW a higher-than-normal percentage of allergic individuals are going to be using it.
And then they have a disclaimer so that if someone dies because they didn't disclose an allergen, nobody can do anything about it.
Something needs to change in this system.
The allergist's nurse called Pfizer, the manufacturer of Zyrtec, and then called me back. She said they assured her that there were no corn or soy ingredients in Zyrtec syrup. However, it didn't seem that she'd checked on the sources of ingredients like glycerin that aren't called corn, but are usually derived from corn.
So I tracked down the 800 number myself and called Pfizer. After being put on hold and transferred numerous times, I finally got to ask my question. I asked if there were any corn- or soy-derived ingredients, specifically pointing out the often-problematic ones like glycerin and flavorings.
The "specialist" who helped me was able to tell me that there were no corn-derived ingredients in the sugar syrup. But he said that they DO NOT KNOW what is in the other ingredients, such as glycerin and flavorings, because they buy those from outside sources who do not disclose such information. It's "proprietary information".
So they don't know what's in their drugs, and they can't or won't find out.
###############
He told me that Pfizer has a disclaimer that they can't guarantee any of their medications are free from any allergen at all. I informed him that it could be a life-and-death matter for highly allergic people like my daughter, and he said "for patients like that we recommend that they be very careful about anything they take, and discuss it with their doctor" to decide whether it's worth the risk or not. But how can the doctor and patient make an informed decision if the drug company won't tell them whether the drug contains the thing they're allergic to?
All the package inserts say the medication is contraindicated for patients allergic to any of the ingredients. But when the ingredients are vague things like "flavorings" or "glycerin" that could come from any of many different sources, that's not much help. Not at all. They might as well just put "medicine" on the label and not say what's in it.
How in the world can a drug company NOT KNOW what's in the drugs they are making, and not be able or willing to find out? Most of the food companies I've talked to have been more than willing to contact their distibutors and ask if there are corn and/or soy in the products like glycerin and flavorings. The nutritionist at Trader Joe's is even researching what the goats eat that make the milk for the goat milk yogurt, to try to help me figure out why Baby E reacted immediately to it both times we tried it.
Even companies that don't disclose their formulas and consider their ingredients proprietary information have been more than willing to check on whether they contain a specific allergen. For the most part, they seem to actually care about helping us avoid an allergic reaction from consuming their products.
I'd like to write some letters or contact someone about this--it's just not right that a drug company would be unable/unwilling to disclose potential allergens in their products. Especially with a prescription medication intended to treat allergies, when you KNOW a higher-than-normal percentage of allergic individuals are going to be using it.
And then they have a disclaimer so that if someone dies because they didn't disclose an allergen, nobody can do anything about it.
Something needs to change in this system.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Posted by purple_kangaroo at 12:07 PM[Permanent link]
11 Comments:
You're darn tootin'.
That is outrageous. They certainly charge enough for the Zyrtec to take at least a modicum of effort to find out what the heck they're putting in it.
(BTW, I had originally used different phrasing, but realized that my normal Brooklyn-born potty-mouthed righteous indignation might not be appropriate. So darn and heck are as strong as I'm typing but I'm turning the air blue over here at my desk.)
That... is the most LUDICROUS thing I have EVER heard!!! An allergy medication, no less!!!
I would be contacting the FDA, if I were you.
Angry doesn't really cover my feelings about this. I already have a "thing" about the pharmaceutical companies anyway and this just added fuel to the fire. They have NO RIGHT to withhold such information from you. How DARE they?!
Get in touch with Linda Marsa. This story would be right up her alley. She's the author of Prescription for Profits. Her articles on health-related topics are published regularly in the Los Angeles Times and numerous magazines.
Ohhhhhhhhhh You should TOTALLY write the paper about that.... That is wrong! Get some heads rolling!
Ohh PK.....
I'd be very, VERY, freaking out angry right now too.
But, guess what - you're very intelligent, you're an excellent communicator/writer, and I think that those two combined are dangerous to them alone, but you've got mama bear syndrome in full bore too.
Go for it, and Pfizer, watch out.
i used to work for a medical device company and part of my job was tracking down potential contaminates that could be transferred to the devices. It was very difficult information to compile given the vast quantity of proprietery processes and products that were used.
However, I was looking to compile a complete list and not just a yes or not two specific ingredients. And for goodness sake this is an ALLERGY medication. How can they not know if there are allergens in it?
That's absolutely ridiculous.
Just one thought though - according to my husband (a law student, not a lawyer, so take it for what it's worth) the disclaimers that aim to avoid any and all responsibility often don't actually hold up in court. A company cannot just disavow all responsibility by adding a sentence to a label. If the drug did in fact kill someone, the chance that they could avoid all liability is really very slim.
Of course, you also don't want to be the person forced to find out whether that's really the case. :(
How incredibly frustrating! I'm so sorry.
Thanks, all . . . I'll definitely follow up on those suggestions.
I did take my list of corn and soy derivatives with a printout of the inactive ingredients of Zyrtec back to the pharmacy where I got the prescription filled today. The pharmacist wasn't very helpful, but ended up giving me a refund at least.
Now to figure out which step to take next . . .
Thanks for the post. I have a recent corn allergy (I've been breaking out in hives because of corn for the past few months). Once we figured out it was corn, my allergist switched me from the zyrtec pills (which have corn starch) to the syrup because he wasn't sure if it had corn or not. I still have hives, but not the huge breakouts anymore (not sure if the hives are from the medication or if corn is slipping into my diet somewhere, since it is in so many things). At any rate, thank you for your post about your inquiry with Pfizer.
It does not surprise me that they don't know, though I definitely think they should. This whole allergy problem has got me thinking about the irony in what products are labeled with ingredients and which are not (for example- that cigarettes and alcohol do not list all the ingredients). By the way, corn is in most liquor and a lot of wine. The safest liquor to drink with a corn allergy is 100% blue agave tequila (the cheaper tequilas all have corn filler-but you won't find that on the bottle).
My son is allergic to corn, too! I asked his allergist if their is corn in the zyrtec. They said no. He has also been taking singulair. Cornstarch all over it! It is the height of allergy season for him and nobody knows what to give my son. I'm using nettle tinctures, coconut oil, echinacae and eye bright. He also has his albuterol for his nebulizer. This is crazy! :)
This is a great site. My son is also allergic to corn and we are irrate that he has been prescribed drugs with corn in them. I always ask the question and have been told there is no corn in zyrtec and singulair by the pharmacists. There are some sites out there with lists of safe products, some that I never would have thought of... deodorant, baking soda, toothpaste!!! Be safe! :)
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