Ogilvy Awarded Over-the-Counter Version of Claritin

NEW YORK — WPP Group’s Ogilvy & Mather has been given the creative assignment for Schering-Plough’s over-the-counter version of Claritin, its widely successful allergy relief drug.

Clarinex was launched in January, as Kenilworth, N.J.-based Schering-Plough sought to head off generic competition to prescription-only Claritin. It is expected to be available in over-the-counter form before the end of this year, a Schering-Plough representative said. The $80 million in advertising for Claritin is created by WPP’s CommonHealth Quantum Group, Parsippany, N.J.

Schering-Plough