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Allegra’s labels list no wheat, barley or rye ingredient and DailyMed codes its starch as corn, but adult Allegra isn’t labeled gluten-free and its maker makes no gluten statement for it.
It depends on the product. Allegra tablets list pregelatinized starch, which DailyMed’s ingredient data codes as corn even though the box doesn’t say so, and no Allegra label names a gluten-containing grain. The maker says three children’s products have no ingredients derived from wheat, barley, spelt, oats or rye, but it makes no gluten statement for adult Allegra.
Allegra (fexofenadine) is a popular non-drowsy allergy pill, so we re-checked this page against the current Allegra labels on DailyMed and the maker’s own site. The earlier version had three problems: it quoted the Gelcaps label as if it were the tablet, it credited a gluten statement to Sanofi that we couldn’t trace, and it said Allegra-D has the same ingredients as Allegra. All three are fixed below.
Check your medicine cabinet for gluten
Fifteen common over-the-counter medicines, what each label shows, what to check on the box, and one question to ask your pharmacist. Plus how to check any medicine yourself. You'll also be first to hear when the LGGF scanner app launches.
What the Maker Says About Gluten in Allegra
Allegra’s US labels list Chattem, Inc. as the labeler; it’s part of Opella, the consumer health company Sanofi spun off in 2025. For adult Allegra, the maker says nothing about gluten on allegra.com. For three children’s products, it does. The Children’s Allegra 12 Hour Liquid page says the liquid “is not certified gluten free, but none of the ingredients are derived from wheat, barley, spelt, oats, or rye.” The Children’s Dissolve Tabs and Children’s Allegra Hives Liquid pages say the same.
What’s in Allegra, Product by Product
These lists come from the current Allegra labels on DailyMed. None of them names wheat, barley, rye or malt.
- Allegra Allergy 12 HR and 24 HR tablets: the Drug Facts list “pregelatinized starch” with no source, but the label’s coded ingredient table names it corn starch (DailyMed label).
- Allegra 24 HR Gelcaps: also pregelatinized starch coded as corn, plus gelatin. This is the label the earlier version of this page showed for the tablets.
- Allegra-D 12 HR: pregelatinized starch, coded as corn.
- Allegra-D 24 HR: no starch at all, and a very different ingredient list from plain Allegra (DailyMed label).
- Children’s Allegra oral suspension: no starch. It’s sweetened with sucrose and xylitol, which the maker’s gluten statement covers.
- Children’s Allegra Dissolve Tabs: no starch, but they contain lactose monohydrate and aspartame.
What the FDA Says About Gluten in Medicines
The FDA’s gluten-free labeling rule only covers food, and the agency has set no gluten-free standard for medicines. Its Medications and Gluten page and draft guidance on gluten in drugs explain why the corn coding on DailyMed matters for Allegra:
- Derived starches don’t name their plant: on the box, “pregelatinized starch” never says what it was made from, and neither do sugar alcohols like xylitol. Only plain wheat starch must say “wheat starch.” For Allegra, DailyMed’s coded table fills that gap with corn.
- No added wheat gluten: the FDA knows of no oral drug sold in the US with wheat gluten or wheat flour added as an inactive ingredient.
- A small worst case: in the very rare drug with a wheat-derived ingredient, the FDA’s high estimate is no more than 0.5 mg of gluten per dose.
- No “Contains: Wheat” rule for drugs: the food allergen law behind that line doesn’t apply to over-the-counter drugs, per the FDA’s allergen labeling guidance.
The FDA says that when a medicine’s ingredient list doesn’t mention wheat gluten or wheat flour, it shouldn’t contain gluten in an amount that would harm a typical (non-refractory) person with celiac disease. For adult Allegra, the open question is only the one the maker hasn’t answered in writing.
Cross-Contamination Risk
- No current Allegra label names wheat, barley, rye or malt.
- DailyMed codes the starch in the tablets, Gelcaps and Allegra-D 12 HR as corn.
- No maker gluten statement for adult Allegra.
- Store-brand fexofenadine has its own inactive ingredients. Compare its Drug Facts before you swap.
- Keep the box. Its NDC number finds the exact label on DailyMed.
How to Check the Allegra You Bought
- Read the Drug Facts on your box: the “Inactive ingredients” line tells you which product you have.
- Look it up on DailyMed: search the NDC number from the box at dailymed.nlm.nih.gov. The “Ingredients and Appearance” table shows the coded starch source.
- Ask your pharmacist: the NIH’s digestive diseases institute tells people with celiac disease to ask a pharmacist about ingredients in over-the-counter medicines.
- Call the maker: the number under “Questions or comments?” on the Drug Facts label reaches it, if you want a gluten answer for adult Allegra in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Allegra gluten-free?
Adult Allegra isn’t labeled gluten-free, and its maker makes no gluten statement for it. The current Allegra labels on DailyMed list no wheat, barley or rye ingredient, and the pregelatinized starch in the tablets is coded as corn in DailyMed’s ingredient data. If you react to very small amounts, ask your pharmacist.
Is Allegra-D gluten-free?
Neither Allegra-D is labeled gluten-free, and their ingredients differ from plain Allegra. Allegra-D 24 HR lists no starch at all; Allegra-D 12 HR lists pregelatinized starch that DailyMed codes as corn. Neither label names a gluten-containing grain.
Is Children’s Allegra gluten-free?
The maker says Children’s Allegra 12 Hour Liquid, the Dissolve Tabs and Children’s Allegra Hives Liquid are “not certified gluten free, but none of the ingredients are derived from wheat, barley, spelt, oats, or rye.” The same Dissolve Tabs FAQ wrongly calls the tabs lactose-free, so confirm with a pharmacist if your child is very sensitive.
Is store-brand fexofenadine the same as Allegra?
The active ingredient is the same, but each maker chooses its own inactive ingredients, and a store-brand label may not name its starch source. Compare the inactive ingredients on the box, or look up its NDC number on DailyMed, before you switch.
Why isn’t Allegra labeled gluten-free?
No US law requires a medicine to say whether it contains gluten, and the FDA’s gluten-free labeling rule only covers food. The FDA has suggested voluntary wording for drug labels, but that guidance is still a draft, and Allegra’s labels don’t use it.
What kind of starch is in Allegra?
Allegra tablets list “pregelatinized starch.” The box doesn’t say what plant it came from, but the label’s coded ingredient data on DailyMed names it corn starch. The Gelcaps and Allegra-D 12 HR are coded the same way.