US Food and Drug Administration finally cleared way for the Sun Pharmaceutical Industries by approving its generic version of Astelin, which is used to treat nasal problems in North America. The company is already selling the generic Azelastine HCL nasal spray which has annual sales of around $144 million in the US.

Allergic rhinitis is a collection of symptoms mostly in the nose and eyes, which occur when you breathe in something you are allergic to, such as dust, dander, insect venom, or pollen. The drug can be used for treating a lot of seasonal allergic rhinitis such as rhinorrhoea, sneezing and nasal pruritus. Moreover it is also beneficial in treating symptoms of vasomotor rhinitis, such as rhinorrhoea, nasal congestion and postnasal drip in adults and children of 12 years and older.

In an announcement made by the Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, it was said that they had got approval of the product in the strength of 0.1% (137 mcg/spray). But irrespective of the announcement it did not have any effect on the shares of the company which were trading at Rs 565.10 on the BSE in afternoon trade, down 1.09% from its previous close.