Reports: Fruth Pharmacy has sold nearly 1,000 boxes of tamper-resistant pseudoephedrine product

NEW YORK — Fruth Pharmacy is seeing a positive response from customers in its efforts to limit the sale of OTC cold and allergy medications that contain pseudoephedrine, according to published reports.

The West Virginia MetroNews Network reported that Fruth had sold nearly 1,000 boxes of Acura Pharmaceuticals' Nexafed, a nasal decongestant that contains tamper-resistant properties to limit its appeal to makers of methamphetamine, and the product has been popular with customers since its introduction at the stores in August.

At the same time it made the announcement about Nexafed, the 25-store, West Virginia-based chain announced it would phase out Johnson & Johnson's Sudafed, a popular target for meth makers due to the relative ease by which the pseudoephedrine is extracted. Other products with pseudoephedrine, such as Merck's Claritin-D and Sanofi's Allegra-D, have been moved behind the counter and out of customers' view.

In addition, customers who want to buy those drugs at Fruth must first consult with a pharmacist who can determine whether they're being bought for legitimate purposes, the news site reported.