ST. LOUIS — The Drug Enforcement Administration says a suburban St. Louis pharmaceutical company is wrong for marketing its pseudoephedrine product to imply methamphetamine cannot be made with it.
But Westport Pharmaceuticals insists its Zephrex-D is impractical as an ingredient for meth, even if small amounts of the drug can be extracted from it. The Maryland Heights, Mo., company began selling the cold and allergy medication last year.
The DEA's acting special agent in charge of the St. Louis office, James Shroba, sent Westport a letter dated May 6 and called the company out on its marketing of Zephrex-D as meth-resistant.
Westport spokeswoman Emilie Dolan said Tuesday that only small amounts of meth can be extracted. She says it would cost meth-makers $250 to $500 to make a single dose using Zephrex-D.