THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first generic version of the anti-allergy medication Flonase.
Like GlaxoSmithKline's brand-name equivalent, the generic form called Fluticasone Propionate Nasal Spray is an inhaled corticosteroid. The generic is now approved for adults and children over 4 years of age for the relief of stuffy nose and other nasal symptoms linked to allergic or non-allergic rhinitis.
Common side effects include headache, sore throat and nose bleed.
GlaxoSmithKline introduced Flonase in 1994, and its patents on the drug ran out in late November.
"Except for their price, which is much lower, generic drugs are in every way equivalent to their brand-name counterparts," Dr. Steven Galson, director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a prepared statement.
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