OTC Prevacid to be available in 2009

CHICAGO, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Anti-heartburn drug Prevacid, produced by Chicago-based TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc., should be available over the counter by the end of the decade.

TAP has agreed to sell Prevacid's license rights to Novartis AG, which plans to launch an over-the-counter version once the patent on TAP's prescription version expires in 2009, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.

Currently prescription-strength Prevacid costs about $4 a pill, but the OTC version is expected to cost less than $1.

Prevacid is the nation's fourth-best-selling brand name prescription drug. First is Lipitor, followed by Zorcor and Nexium.