OverTheCounterToday

This Week In OTCs and Nutritionals: Magic Tricks Edition

Ladies and Gentlemen, READ “The Tan Sheet” this week and WATCH EUROPEAN OTC EXPERTS attempt to pull the ELUSIVE REAPPEARING CONSUMER out of a hat! SEE HELP REMEDIES TRANSFORM venerable OTC ingredients into STYLISH NEW PRODUCTS! And WITNESS a judge SAW IN HALF a qualified health claims suit against FDA!

(“The Tan Sheet” works its magic every week. To conjure up a free trial, wave your cursor here.)

OTC/Nutritional News Roundup: Acai Weight-Loss Crackdown

It was never quite clear how a high-calorie fruit like the acai berry became associated with weight loss, but the Federal Trade Commission isn't taking such dubious marketing lying down, as you can see in this week's news roundup.

FTC looks to stop the presses on acai "reporters" ... J&J pushes back full OTC relaunches to 2012 ... Court ruling deems some FDA claim requirements unreasonable

This Week In OTCs and Nutritionals: Ch-ch-ch-changes Edition

 
This week "The Tan Sheet" covers some big changes - enacted, imminent and proposed - in the world of OTC drugs and nutritional supplements. Reckitt Benckiser changes its CEO, replacing the retiring Bart Becht with company vet Rakesh Kapoor. GlaxoSmithKline soon will change its consumer health care business, with brands like alli and FiberChoice up for sale. And Council for Responsible Nutrition vet Andrew Shao, now an exec at Herbalife, proposes changes for the industry including consolidating trade groups.

[Follow the ever-changing world of OTCs and nutritionals in "TheTan Sheet." For a limited-time discount on new subscriptions, click here.]

Goodbye, alli: Glaxo Lays Out OTCs For Divestment

 
GlaxoSmithKline wants to shed its alli weight-loss brand, along with a list of other international OTCs worth about $813 million in 2010 sales, or 10% of GSK's total Consumer Healthcare business.

The U.K. firm announced April 14 alli and other products on the chopping block include U.S. brands FiberChoice, Beano and Tagamet for digestive health, and BC and Goody's analgesics. The full list, posted here, also features Zantac OTC marketed in the U.K. and Australia.

U.S. brands that will remain in Glaxo's portfolio include digestive health OTCs Tums and Citrucel, smoking-cessation products NicoDerm, Nicorette and Commit, and the oral care lines Sensodyne, Biotene and Aquafresh.

OTC Drug & Nutritional Product News: Greeting Card Edition

Thanks, FDA, for a “priority” re-inspection, Perrigo says …
Thanks a lot, Supreme Court, for open questions on disclosing AERs, a law professor opines...
J&J earns kudos for disclosing bribes, SEC and DoJ say …

Thanks, FDA, for a “priority” re-inspection: Private label giant Perrigo notes FDA signs off on the firm’s remediation to correct quality control problems at its its Allegan, Mich., plant. The agency identified the problems in a warning letter submitted a year ago, as “The Tan Sheet” reported here.

This Week In OTCs And Nutritionals: Don't Call It A Shutdown

While most in Washington were on the edge of their seats last week following the near government shutdown, all of us at "The Tan Sheet" were following another big D.C. event: the annual conference of the Food and Drug Law Institute.

Our April 11 issue features exclusive coverage from FDLI, including what Janet Woodcock, director of FDA's drug center, thinks about the future of Rx-to-OTC switches and a law professor's take on the the Supreme Court's decision regarding Matrixx Initiatives’ failure to disclose Zicam adverse event reports to investors.

Outside of the FDLI conference, this week's "Tan Sheet" also looks at the significance of Pfizer's Capsugel divestment and the potential OTC fallout from FDA's consumer warning on benzocaine.

 

[When it comes to the OTC and nutritional industries, "The Tan Sheet" is definitely essential intelligence. For a limited-time discount offer on new subscriptions, click here.] 

 

TOP STORIES

CDER Director Sees Behind-The-Counter Switches As Best Bet
FDA drug center chief Janet Woodcock says behind-the-counter switches would be the most effective method to make Rx drugs available without prescriptions, particularly to help treat chronic conditions.

EU Seeks Standard OTC Packaging And Labeling Across Member States
European Medicines Agency recommendations released April 1 look to revamp the information provided on labeling and packaging for nonprescription drugs authorized under the agency's centralized procedure.

Freed From Pfizer, Capsugel May Find More Market Opportunities
Pfizer's divestiture of Capsugel moves the gelatin capsule manufacturer out from under pharma ownership, potentially opening a door to more business.

This Week In OTCs and Nutritionals: Table of Contents

 
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. This week in "The Tan Sheet," Johnson & Johnson tries separating part of its troubled McNeil Consumer Healthcare business, plagued for two years by quality issues and recalls, from the rest of the firm to allow for greater focus on manufacturing quality. Arkansas tries limiting purchases of OTC pseudoephedrine-containing drugs to consumers with in-state licenses in an attempt to limit meth made from the drug. And SymphonyIRI's data on consumer personal care shopping show that firms can try to make the most money in a tough retail environment still impacted by the recession.

TOP STORIES 

J&J Separates U.S. OTCs In "Unorthodox" Reorg To Get McNeil Back On Track
As the new head of Johnson & Johnson's beleaguered U.S. OTC business, Pat Mutchler takes on the burden of restoring the firm's reputation and manufacturing quality.

OTC Pseudoephedrine Purchases In Arkansas Require In-State Identification
An Arkansas law limits sales of pseudoephedrine-containing OTC products to consumers with in-state identification, pioneering a tactic in states' attempts to curb illegal purchases.

Conservative Shopping Trends Offer Mixed Bag For Consumer Product Sales
Strategic marketing can help consumer product firms turn conservative shopping behaviors driven by the economic downturn into opportunities and dodge the pitfalls. 

["The Tan Sheet" is your source for up-to-date, in-depth news and analysis covering the OTC pharmaceutical and nutritional industries. For more information on a free trial issue, click here.]