Make your
child’s room an
allergy-free
zone
child’s room an
MEDIA BAKERY
WINTER WEATHER means
more time inside. For children
with indoor allergies, it’s important that the hours spent in the
bedroom sleeping, playing and
doing homework are allergen free.
Indoor allergies can cause
such symptoms as stuffy or
runny nose, itchy, watery eyes,
sneezing, asthma and skin rashes.
Allergists from the American
College of Allergy, Asthma and
Immunology offer these tips to
create an allergen-free zone all
winter long.
Banish clutter, even toys.
Piles of toys, stacks of books, any-
thing that can collect dust should
be kept to a minimum. Consider
storing books and toys in plastic
containers with a lid, and enlist
kids to put items back after use.
Crumbs can invite cockroaches to
visit, even in the bedroom. And
cockroach droppings can cause
severe allergy and asthma symp-
toms. Cockroaches require food
and moisture to survive, so having
a no-food policy in your child’s
room can keep these pests away.
Sweep away symptoms. If
there is carpeting or an area rug
in your child’s room, use a
cyclonic vacuum or a vacuum
with a HEPA filter regularly.
Next, keep kids with allergies
and asthma out of freshly vacu-
umed areas for two hours—the
amount of time it takes for dust
stirred up by vacuuming to set-
tle back down.
Deter dust mites. Sheets,
mattresses and pillows are a
breeding ground for dust mites,
which can cause year-round
watery eyes and runny noses.
Wash all bedding in hot water or
bleach as directed every 10 days.
Also consider protecting pillows
and mattresses with removable
allergy-resistant coverings.
Lower the humidity. Keep
the indoor humidity in your
home below 50 percent. Use a
dehumidifier if necessary.
Prep the furnace. Change
filters before winter and every
three months, and use filters
with a Minimum Efficiency
Reporting Value (MERV) rating
of 8 to 12. A MERV rating tells
you how well the filter removes
dust from the air as it passes
through the filter.
Follow these steps to help
make indoor time as pleasant
for your children (and you) as
possible.—T. Foster Jones
The Costco Connection
Costco and Costco.com carry storage bins, washing tubs, HEPA
vacuums, dehumidifiers, fans and air purifiers, and allergen-barrier
mattress and pillow protectors. Also look for products certified by
the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America (
www.aafa.org).
Lipitor resists generic
competitors
PFIZER INC
IF YOU’RE CURRENTLY using
Lipitor, the cholesterol-fighting
prescription drug, you need to
keep an eye on an anticipated
pricing battle that will play out
over the next six months.
The patent that Pfizer has
held since 1997 for developing
Lipitor—the company’s brand
name for the drug atorvastatin—
expired on November 30, 2011.
By June 2012, several generic
versions will be competing for
Lipitor’s market share, and prices
will likely drop drastically.
But before then, just
two companies—Ranbaxy
and Watson—were awarded
“generic exclusivity” by the
Food and Drug Administration. That means that for a
Usually a company such as
Pfizer would just ride out those
180 days with little change in
strategy as the generic versions
gain acceptance. But Pfizer has
decided to compete against the
generic versions of atorvastatin, hoping to capture sales
from the large market share it
has dominated.
Through a system of co-pay
discount cards and other rebates,
Pfizer is attempting to establish a
short-term position of underselling the price of the generic versions. Pfizer has also offered
significant discounts to Costco
and the Costco Member Prescription Program (CMPP)—a
program for Costco members
who have no prescription drug
insurance coverage. (Check with
your Costco pharmacist to see if
CMPP can save you money.)
If you fill your Lipitor prescription at a Costco pharmacy,
rest assured that Costco is
closely monitoring the Lipitor/
atorvastatin price fluctuations
and will guide you or your
insurance provider to the best
price.—David Wight
