Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman Teams Up with New Nasacort® Allergy 24HR to Help Allergy Sufferers Put the Full 'Cort Press on Nasal Allergy Symptoms

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Nancy Lieberman, basketball hall of famer, coach and mom, has teamed up with Sanofi's consumer healthcare division Chattem Inc. to introduce a new, more effective player on the over-the-counter (OTC) allergy medication roster, Nasacort Allergy 24HR Nasal Spray. Now available in stores nationwide, Nasacort Allergy 24HR is different than other currently available OTC allergy medications. It puts the "Full 'Cort Press" on the full range of nasal allergy symptoms for 24 hours with a once daily dose. Nasacort Allergy 24HR is the first and only medicine in its class to be available at full prescription strength without the need for a prescription. 

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 "I have a very hectic life as a mom and a professional, so I always need to be at the top of my game and can't let my nasal allergies put me on the sidelines," Lieberman said. "The over-the-counter medications I tried in the past only relieved certain symptoms. I need a medication like Nasacort Allergy 24HR that gives me full relief of my allergy symptoms."

Nancy Lieberman is not alone. In a recent survey, nearly 60 percent of nasal allergy sufferers who used an OTC product, which include oral antihistamines and decongestants, were not very satisfied with the medicine they used. However, selecting the right nasal allergy medicine actually starts with understanding what causes allergy symptoms.

Allergy symptoms occur when the body encounters an allergen and produces chemicals in response, such as: histamine, cytokines, leukotrienes, prostaglandins and eosinophils. These chemicals cause inflammation which result in nasal allergy symptoms.

"I like to think of my body as a basketball court and the chemicals my body produces in response to allergens as the opposing team," Lieberman said.  "My doctor told me that many single active ingredient allergy medications available over-the-counter will only target one of the chemicals – that means the others are left open to score and cause nasal allergy symptoms. Nasacort Allergy 24HR targets five of the chemicals in a one-on-one, man-to-man defense, stopping more of what makes me miserable."

The Nasacort Allergy 24HR Difference
First approved as a prescription medication in 1996, Nasacort Allergy 24HR received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to switch from prescription to OTC on October 11, 2013 and became available for retail sale in February 2014. Nasacort Allergy 24HR belongs to the most effective class of nasal allergy medications, and the class doctors prescribe most to treat nasal allergy symptoms.

Nasacort Allergy 24HR works differently than all other OTC allergy medicines. For example, oral antihistamines are not indicated for the treatment of nasal congestion, which is the most bothersome seasonal and year-round allergy symptom. In addition, many oral antihistamines may cause drowsiness, which can interfere with driving or work activities in adults, and may cause some children to experience excitability. In addition, oral decongestants containing pseudoephedrine have restricted availability because of concerns that it can be used to make illegal drugs, and nasal spray decongestants, such as oxymetazoline, should not be used for more than three days, because they can cause a rebound effect. Nasacort Allergy 24HR is a powerful anti-inflammatory that is non-habit forming and contains no drowsiness warning.

Nasacort Allergy 24HR is indicated for seasonal and year-round nasal allergy symptoms, including nasal congestion and is available in 60 and 120 spray dose bottles. For more information, visit www.nasacort.com or find us on Facebook at Facebook/NasacortOTC.

About Allergies
More than 60 million Americans suffer from seasonal and year-round hay fever and other upper respiratory allergies. Symptoms of nasal allergies, which include sneezing, itchy nose, runny nose and nasal congestion, can lead to a major disruption in the quality of life for both adults and children. Nasal allergies can interfere with sleep, outdoor activities, and for children, their performance in school.

About Sanofi
Sanofi, an integrated global healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients' needs. Sanofi has core strengths in the field of healthcare with seven growth platforms: diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, consumer healthcare, emerging markets, animal health and the new Genzyme. Sanofi is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).

Sanofi is the holding company of a consolidated group of subsidiaries and operates in the United States as Sanofi US, also referred to as sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC. For more information on Sanofi US, please visit http://www.sanofi.us or call 1-800-981-2491.

About Chattem
Chattem, Inc. is the U.S. consumer healthcare division of Sanofi.  Founded in 1879 as the Chattanooga Medicine Company, Chattem is now one of the leading manufacturers and marketers of branded consumer healthcare products in the United States. With more than 30 well-known brands, including ACT^® Fluoride Mouth Rinse, Allegra^®, Cortizone-10^®, Gold Bond^®, Icy Hot^®, Nasacort^® Allergy 24HR, and Rolaids^®, Chattem's products are medicine cabinet staples in millions of homes. For more information, please visit www.chattem.com.

Contact:

Corporate Media Relations                             
Lori Lukus                                                        
Tel: 908-981-3876                                             
[email protected]        

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release click the following link: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/7122351-basketball-hall-of-famer-nancy-lieberman-nasacort-allergy-24hr

SOURCE Sanofi US