22 April 2016
COMPANY NEWS
3
Celesio grows in Portugal
with Grupo Holon network
Hanmi to build facility in China
WBA to shake up its
global store offering
GSK changes tack in India
to drive OTC sales growth
ProPhase moves into supplements
Omega reveals plan
to boost 2016 sales
Alibaba expands South-East Asia reach
Merck unveils its plans
to expand in Indonesia
Pfizer and Allergan merger
scuppered by US tax move
Alliance Pharma targets
expansion in Asia
3
3
4
5
5
6
6
7
8
9
GENERAL NEWS
10
NZSMI voices opposition
to repackaging proposal
JSMI outlines OTC priorities
French self-care model
could save C1.5bn
mHealth consumers
identified in the US
10
10
11
12
MARKETING NEWS
14
Kobayashi grows OTC line
with pain and acne options
Science focus for Sensodyne
Omega’s Dermalex targets
UK’s adult acne sufferers
Ratiopharm has rival to
Boehringer brand
ACCC proposes A$6m fine
after RB misled consumers
GSK simulates migraines
for US Excedrin campaign
Premium option joins Loxonin S
14
14
15
15
16
17
17
FEATURES
20
Clear vision drives
GSK’s OTC ambitions
20
REGULARS
Events – Our regular listing
People – Pfizer’s Varma to replace
Mann as chair of WSMI
19
23
WBA makes Russian move
with stake in retailer 36.6
W
algreens Boots Alliance (WBA) has
taken a step into the Russian retail
pharmacy market by swapping its Alliance
Healthcare Russia wholesale business with
Pharmacy Chain 36.6 in exchange for a 15%
stake in the leading Russian pharmacy chain.
Headquartered in Moscow, Alliance Healthcare Russia served more than 60 Russian cities,
36.6 said, adding that the deal was a good fit
with its long-term aim of strengthening its
wholesaling operations.
Adding Alliance Healthcare Russia to the
business would “significantly increase the number and volume of direct contracts with pharmaceutical manufacturers” that 36.6 had in
Russia, the company noted.
“Undoubtedly this transaction will contribute to the development and improvement of
36.6 in all areas of the business,” commented
the Russian company’s director general, Vladimir Kintsurashvili.
With WBA now holding a 15% stake in
36.6, Kintsurashvili said the company would
have access to “the experience and expertise of
one of the leading international pharmaceutical wholesale and retail firms”.
The firm’s acquisition of Alliance Healthcare Russia comes less than one month after
36.6 announced it wanted to “vigorously develop” its wholesale business.
Speaking in March, Kintsurashvili said 36.6
had set its sights on becoming a top-three pharmaceutical distributor in Russia within the
next three years.
“Expanding the wholesale business seems
like a logical step for the development of the
company,” Kintsurashvili insisted. “We have
established productive relationships with manufacturers,” he noted, “which gives us a solid
foundation on which to build the business.”
36.6 is poised to become Russia’s largest
drugstore chain after it agreed earlier this year
to merge with local rival A5 Pharmacy Retail
(OTC bulletin, 5 February 2016, page 5).
Completion of the deal is subject to regulatory approval.
FDA committee backs OTC adapalene
T
he US Food and Drug Administration’s
(FDA’s) Nonprescription Drugs Advisory
Committee (NDAC) has voted unanimously to
recommend switching adapalene gel 0.1% as
a topical acne treatment.
At its 15 April meeting, the committee said
data in Galderma’s supplemental new drug
application (sNDA) for adapalene gel 0.1%
supported an acceptable benefit/risk profile for
non-prescription use by consumers.
The proposed OTC use of the product is “for
the treatment of acne and to clear up acne pimples and acne blemishes” in those aged 12 years
and above.
Adapalene is the active ingredient in Galderma’s Differin acne medicines.
The NDAC’s recommendation – which the
FDA does not have to accept, but generally does
– comes as New Zealand’s regulatory author-
ity, Medsafe, prepares to consider a proposal to
reclassify the ingredient at a meeting on 3 May
(OTC bulletin, 4 March 2016, page 9).
Pharmacy retail group Green Cross Health
and switch consultant Natalie Gauld have suggested that adapalene be available without a
prescription in “medicines containing not more
than 1mg/g and when supplied in a pack of not
more than 30g by a pharmacist”.
The proposed use is for the “topical treatment of comedo, papular and pustular acne
(acne vulgaris) of the face, chest and back”.
Adapalene 0.1% is already available without a prescription in Georgia, Russia and Thailand, while Germany recently rejected an application to switch adapalene mono preparations
in concentrations of up to 0.1% with a maximum pack size of 25g (OTC bulletin, 5 February 2016, page 11).
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COMPANY NEWS OTC
Business Strategy
Hanmi to build
facility in China
S
outh Korea’s Hanmi Pharmaceutical has
announced plans to build a new manufacturing plant to meet growing demand for its
OTC and prescription medicines in China.
In a short statement, the company revealed
it had snapped up for US$10.0 million (C8.8
million) a substantial plot of land in the Yantiai Economic and Technological Development
Zone in Shandong province to construct the
new facility.
Noting that it planned to invest US$200 million in the construction process, Hanmi said
it would “build facilities for the production of
chemical and biologic drugs and health supplements, as well as a research and development
centre for new drug development”. The site
would supply Hanmi’s products to China and
other “global markets”, the firm pointed out.
Commenting on the rationale behind the
move, Hanmi claimed that the new facilities
would help it to become a “more globalised
pharmaceutical company”.
Hanmi reported turnover up by 73.1% to
KRW1.32 trillion (C1.02 billion) in 2015, thanks
to better sales of prescription medicines.
The company’s OTC portfolio includes Allercon eye drops, the Maxibupen analgesic,
Medilac anti-diarrhoeal, and the TenTenG dietary supplement.
OTC
22 April 2016
Number 461
Editor: Matt Stewart
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22 April 2016 OTC bulletin
Mergers & Acquisitions
Celesio grows in Portugal
with Grupo Holon network
C
elesio is set to expand its presence in Portugal after agreeing to acquire for an undisclosed sum the Grupo Holon virtual pharmacy
chain. Completion of the deal is subject to clearance by the Portuguese Competition Authority.
By sharing the same brand, image and pharmacy concept, Holon’s network of 380 independent pharmacies enjoyed access to “attractive offers on products, services and buying
terms”, the German pharmaceutical wholesaler
and retailer pointed out.
Strict regulations govern pharmacy chains
in Portugal, prohibiting individuals or companies from owning more than four pharmacies
in the country.
The acquisition of Holon, Celesio said, would
expand its “expertise and capabilities” in Portugal’s retail pharmacy market and enhance its
European pharmacy network.
In addition, Holon would “strengthen the
customer base” of Celesio’s wholesale business, OCP Portugal, the company insisted, and
improve its relationships with manufacturers.
“Holon will help OCP Portugal to achieve its
goal of rendering additional and better services
to Portuguese pharmacies,” Celesio explained.
As a result, the firm said, Portuguese consumers would “benefit from greater professional
healthcare services and more choice”.
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Celesio has snapped up the Grupo Holon virtual
pharmacy chain to expand its presence in Portugal
Celesio’s network includes around 2,000
wholly-owned pharmacies – in Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden and the UK – plus
more than 4,300 affiliated partner pharmacies in
France, Germany and Norway. It has wholesale
operations in more than 10 European countries.
The company reported turnover up by 6.8%
to C16.2 billion in the nine months ended 31
December 2015. Earnings before interest and
tax (EBIT) advanced by 28.8% to C332 million
in the period.
Celesio is now operating as part of McKesson and is housed in the US wholesaler’s
Distribution Solutions division.
McKesson acquired Celesio in 2014 (OTC
bulletin, 7 February 2014, page 1).
OTC
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3
OTC COMPANY NEWS
Business Strategy/Second-Quarter Results
WBA to shake up its global store offering
O
ffering “enhanced services” and “innovative” products will help Walgreens Boots
Alliance (WBA) globally to drive consumers
into its stores and stay ahead of the competition,
according to the company’s chief executive officer Stefano Pessina.
Speaking as the US-based wholesale and retail giant reported the results for its second
quarter ended 29 February 2016, Pessina said
it was “essential for the sustainable future” of
WBA to find “innovative and valuable offerings
to continue to bring consumers into our stores”.
The company was intent on “reviewing and
rejuvenating” both its retail and pharmacy operations in store, Pessina insisted, to “further differentiate” WBA in the market.
“We need to enhance our patient offering,”
he explained, “and then ensure that we maximise the value of that interaction both to the
patients and to the company through value-added services.”
“In the front of our stores, we need to focus
our offering, be clear what we stand for and
define our areas of expertise and differentiation,” Pessina said. “And we need to offer these
through whatever medium or interface the consumer wants.”
“We must do this with strict vigilance and
vigour so that we achieve our goals without disrupting the extraordinary level of service our
customers have come to expect,” he added.
US market is a priority
Noting that WBA would implement this
strategy globally, Pessina admitted that its immediate priority was the US, as this was the market where the company had “the most immediate opportunities”.
“But this does not mean we are neglecting
our other markets; far from it,” Pessina insisted.
“In the UK, the team is working hard on strategies to keep Boots stores and the Boots brand
portfolio not just ahead of the market, but the
most relevant to its consumers.”
Commenting on the company’s plans for its
Retail Pharmacy USA unit – which comprises
Walgreens and Duane Reade drugstores – Alex
Gourlay, president of Walgreens, said WBA
was “focused on removing unprofitable items
to try and simplify the offer”.
“We want to get consumers to re-evaluate
the offer inside Walgreens to see it as more
unique and more differentiated,” he maintained.
As part of this plan, the company would
continue to introduce its “differentiated beauty
offering” – led by the Boots No.7 brand – to
4
a further 1,600 Walgreens stores from the summer. This would increase the total number of
stores with this beauty offering to around 2,000
by the end of 2016, Gourlay noted.
Turning to WBA’s second-quarter results,
Pessina reported a performance “pretty much in
line with expectations”, with sales up by 13.6%
to US$30.2 billion (C26.5 billion), after eliminations of US$632 million.
While the firm still had “plenty more to do”
in integrating the Alliance Boots and Walgreens
businesses, following the completion of their
merger deal (OTC bulletin, 17 April 2015, page
5), Pessina said “good progress” had already
been made in “reducing costs and establishing
more efficient working practices”.
Turnover at the Retail Pharmacy USA division advanced by 2.1% to C21.5 billion in the
three months. Prescription sales, which accounted for 65.0% of the total, had increased by
3.2%, WBA noted, while prescription sales in
comparable stores had improved by 3.7%.
The division’s operating income moved forward by 2.1% to US$1.6 billion in the period.
As of WBA’s financial year ended 31 August 2015, Retail Pharmacy USA was operating
8,173 drugstores across all 50 US states, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US
Virgin Islands.
WBA announced late last year it was to
expand significantly Retail Pharmacy USA after
agreeing to buy drugstore rival Rite Aid in a
transaction valued at around US$17.2 billion,
including acquired debt (OTC bulletin, 6 November 2015, page 1).
Pessina said at the time that the purchase
of Rite Aid would “accelerate” WBA’s longterm objective to strengthen its “presence and
coverage nationally across the US”.
“The addition of Rite Aid,” Pessina insisted,
“will accelerate our strategy by completing our
network; providing a larger and more comprehensive portfolio; and by creating a more comprehensive and stronger platform for the development of our brand presence and the future
growth of the business.”
Synergies “in excess of US$1 billion” were
expected from the transaction, Pessina pointed
out, adding that the firm would make decisions
“over time” about integrating the two companies,
with the aim of “creating a fully-harmonised
portfolio of stores and infrastructure”.
Commenting on the Rite Aid deal, Pessina
said it was “progressing as planned”, with Rite
Aid’s shareholders approving the transaction
on 4 February. The company expected the ac-
Stefano Pessina, Walgreens Boots Alliance’s
chief executive officer, said the firm was intent on
“reviewing and rejuvenating” the retail and pharmacy
operations in its stores
quisition to close in the second half of 2016,
he added.
Meanwhile, WBA reported sales of US$3.7
billion at its Retail Pharmacy International division – consisting of health and beauty chains
in eight countries, the largest of which is Boots
UK – in the three months.
Sales at the unit had been driven by “particularly strong growth in the UK and Ireland”,
the company noted.
Commenting on Boots UK’s performance,
WBA said the business had benefitted from
better sales of the No.7 and Soap & Glory skincare brands and the “continued growth” of the
boots.com website.
Driven by higher sales in Ireland and the
UK, Retail Pharmacy International posted an
operating income of US$335 million for the
three months.
As of 31 August 2015, the division was operating 4,582 health and beauty stores across
Chile, Ireland, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Thailand and the UK.
Meanwhile, WBA’s Pharmaceutical wholesale unit – which mainly operates under the
Alliance Healthcare brand – generated sales
of US$5.6 billion in the second quarter.
The division reported an operating income
of US$155 million in the period.
WBA pointed out that the Pharmaceutical
Wholesale division supplied medicines, other
healthcare products and services to more than
200,000 pharmacies, doctors, health centres and
hospitals from over 350 distribution centres
located in 19 countries.
WBA’s total operating income for the period
amounted to US$2.12 billion, after eliminations.
OTC
OTC bulletin 22 April 2016
COMPANY NEWS OTC
Business Strategy/Annual Results
Business Strategy
ProPhase moves GSK changes tack in India
into supplements
to drive OTC sales growth
P
G
roPhase Labs is looking to reduce its dependence on its core Cold-EEZE brand
by moving into the dietary supplements space,
the company’s chief executive officer, Ted Karkus, has revealed.
Speaking as the US-based firm reported
2015 sales down by 6.8% to US$20.6 million
(C18.2 million), Karkus said the company had
become over-reliant on its Cold-EEZE homoeopathic cold and flu range and needed to diversify its portfolio.
“In order to offset the seasonality of our
current revenues and our dependence on the
severity of the cold and flu season,” Karkus
explained, “we are launching a new product
line of OTC dietary supplements that will leverage our existing infrastructure, retail relationships and sales force.”
Describing dietary supplements as a “large
and growing category”, Karkus said he believed
the firm’s offering, under its TK Supplements
brand, had the potential to disrupt the market.
The first product to be launched under the
TK Supplements umbrella would be Legendz
XL, he revealed, a supplement for “male sexual enhancement”. Karkus said the company
had conducted placebo-controlled trials to support its claim that the product boosted penile
blood flow within 60 minutes.
ProPhase had developed a set of television
spots for Legendz XL and hoped to launch the
brand on direct-response television and online
in the second half of 2016, he noted.
“As brand awareness increases over time,”
Karkus explained, “our next goal will be to
introduce Legendz XL in retail stores, leveraging our existing infrastructure and retail distribution platform.”
While the firm would initially focus its
efforts on Legendz XL, Karkus revealed that
ProPhase had developed “additional dietary
supplements for future introduction at the appropriate time”. One of these was a supplement
for prostate health, he noted, while another was
an “energy and endurance” product.
OTC
IN BRIEF
■ CIPLA has sold for an undisclosed sum a
26.11% stake in its consumer healthcare subsidiary, Cipla Health, to Mauritius-based FIL
Capital Investments.
OTC
22 April 2016 OTC bulletin
laxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare will place a greater focus on OTC
medicines to take its business in India to the next
level, according to Zubair Ahmed, head of the
unit in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.
Speaking to the Economic Times, Ahmed
said that GSK could secure “faster” growth in
India if it invested more heavily in its Wellness
category – which contains the bulk of its OTC
medicines – rather than relying disproportionately on its Horlicks nutrition brand.
Horlicks accounts for a significant proportion of GSK Consumer Healthcare’s sales in
India, which reached INR41.4 billion (C545 million) in the 12 months ended 31 March 2015.
While Horlicks remained a “core” brand,
which the firm would continue to develop and
support, Ahmed said GSK would “invest in OTC
brands disproportionately” to drive growth. The
firm also wanted to get more out of its Oral
Care portfolio, he added, and in particular its
Sensodyne toothpaste.
“In spite of our best efforts, the Wellness
business is still underleveraged and it is very
dependent on Horlicks,” Ahmed explained. “In
Oral Care, our share of India’s toothpaste market is in the low-single digits.”
GSK was “totally underleveraged in both
Wellness and Oral Care” in India, he admitted,
but the firm did see an opportunity to increase
its share in these markets.
To do this, GSK had identified four ‘power
brands’ – Otrivin, Panadol, Sensodyne and Volt-
Zubair Ahmed, head of GlaxoSmithKline’s Consumer
Healthcare business in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East
and Africa, revealed the firm planned to invest more
heavily in OTC medicines in India
aren – that it would prioritise, Ahmed explained. The firm would also look to “diversify” its
Wellness offering, he revealed, and explore
opportunities to introduce to the Indian market its allergy and smoking-cessation brands.
Noting that India was a “priority market”
for GSK, Ahmed said the company was keen
to apply lessons it had learnt in other countries to
help the Indian business reach its potential.
GSK’s successes in China – particularly with
e-commerce – had the potential to be replicated
in India, he noted.
Last month, Ahmed revealed that GSK was
“poised for sizeable growth in China” after heavily investing in the country (OTC bulletin, 4
March 2016, page 7).
OTC
Mergers & Acquisitions
LEO Pharma boosted by Astellas deal
D
enmark’s LEO Pharma has completed its
C675 million acquisition of Astellas Pharma’s global dermatology business, in a move
the firm claims will extend its reach to “millions” of additional consumers.
Describing the deal – announced in November (OTC bulletin, 27 November 2015, page
3) – as a “pivotal step” for LEO, the firm said
adding Astellas’ dermatology range would create a “strong foothold in markets such as China
and Russia” while adding “critical scale” in
many other markets.
LEO noted that it would continue to work
closely with Astellas over the coming months
to “secure an effective transition with continued supply to patients”.
Astellas’ dermatology portfolio comprises
the Lacobase OTC dry-skin product, as well as
a range of prescription brands, including the
Protopic eczema treatment and Zineryt topical
solution for acne.
Noting that the transaction was the largest
in LEO’s over 100-year history, the company
said Astellas’ range would boost its annual turnover by more than a fifth.
In 2015, LEO reported turnover up by 6%
to DKK8.46 billion (C1.14 billion).
OTC
5
OTC COMPANY NEWS
Business Strategy/Annual Results
Omega reveals plan to boost 2016 sales
B
uilding “strong” European OTC brands
and continuing to invest in its core products will help Omega Pharma to grow its market share in 2016, according to the Belgian consumer healthcare firm.
Announcing its 2015 results, Omega – which
was last year acquired by Perrigo (OTC bulletin, 17 April 2015, page 3) – said the “main
driver” of its growth would be a “continued
focus on, and investments in, our top-20 brands”.
Omega’s top-20 includes brands such as
Abtei dietary supplements, Lactacyd femininehygiene products, Solpadeine pain relievers and
Paranix head-lice treatments.
“These brands represent approximately 59%
of the company’s turnover,” Omega pointed
out, “and are considered the main drivers for
the future strategy and growth.”
Launch in new markets
Omega would look to take the top-20 into
new European markets, the firm revealed, supported by “high promotional spending” to create
brand awareness.
In addition to investments in its top-20
brands, the company said it would “continue to
build strong European brands, with a focus on
qualitative new product developments”.
Noting that it had invested C37 million in
research and development in 2015, Omega insisted that such activities were an “essential
cornerstone of the company’s strategy”.
Omega revealed its plans for 2016 less than
two months after Perrigo’s chairman and chief
executive officer, Joseph Papa, described the
Belgian firm’s fourth-quarter results as a “personal disappointment” (OTC bulletin, 4 March
2016, page 1).
Speaking in February, Papa said the company
had failed to meet “internal expectations” and
was clearly facing “challenges” that needed
to be addressed.
To get Omega back on track, a range of initiatives would be implemented to transform
the business’ “organisational design, business
processes and product-resource allocation”, Papa
said. These plans included a management shakeup and offloading underperforming brands.
“I recognise that my actions will speak louder than words,” Papa admitted, “so I am committing a significant allocation of my time over
the next six months to be in Europe, where I
will actively work with the business’ executive
team and country managers to drive these initiatives forward.”
Omega reported 2015 turnover down by
4.5% to C1.22 billion. The company blamed the
decline on lower sales in markets such as Belgium, France, Germany and Russia, in combination with a fall in turnover from distributing
generics in Belgium.
On a more positive note, Omega said it had
enjoyed a “strong sales performance” in the
Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey and the UK.
Turnover from the firm’s top-20 brands improved by 8.8% in the 12 months and account-
ed for 59% – or around C721 million – of
Omega’s total sales.
Omega pointed out that the basket of brands
Perrigo had picked up from GSK last year
(OTC bulletin, 12 June 2015, page 1) – which
Omega distributes in Europe – had contributed
C35.3 million to group sales, while the Yokebe
dietary supplement brand, also acquired last year
(OTC bulletin, 14 August 2015, page 7), had
generated C5.9 million in turnover.
Separately, Omega announced that its plans
to bring a novel skin-lesion treatment to market had taken a step closer, after the product
was granted a European CE mark.
The Belgian firm snapped up the rights to
the product, BL-5010, in Australia, Europe and
other selected markets last December, after
striking a licensing agreement with Israeli development firm BioLineRx (OTC bulletin, 16
January 2015, page 6).
BioLineRx said it expected Omega would
now launch BL-5010 in Europe “by mid-2016”.
Commenting on the agreement between
Omega and BioLineRx when it was announced,
Mark Couke, Omega’s chief executive officer,
claimed the firm was adding a “promising”
skin-lesion treatment to its existing range of
skin-care products.
“We were very impressed with the data from
the product’s clinical trials to date,” Couke noted,
“and believe it can gain quickly a prominent
position as an OTC treatment for a variety of
benign skin lesions.”
OTC
Mergers & Acquisitions
Alibaba expands South-East Asia reach
A
libaba Group is set to snap up a controlling stake in e-commerce platform Lazada,
which a number of consumer healthcare firms
use to sell their products in South-East Asia.
Under the terms of the deal, Alibaba will
invest US$1.0 billion (C886 million) in Lazada
to acquire US$500 million of existing shares
and US$500 million of newly-issued shares.
The firm has entered into a ‘put-call’ arrangement with Lazada shareholders, giving Alibaba
the right to purchase the shares it does not own
in Lazada within the next 18 months.
Lazada currently operates e-commerce websites in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam offering consumers a range of products including books
and clothing, as well as health and beauty lines.
6
Reckitt Benckiser (RB) uses Lazada to market its Durex range of sexual-health products
to South-East Asian consumers, while Pfizer
sells on the site its Caltrate and Centrum dietary
supplements. Blackmores, GNC and Herbalife
are among the other consumer healthcare firms
operating on the platform.
Commenting on the deal, Michael Evans,
president of Alibaba, said acquiring Lazada
would give the company “access to a platform
with a large and growing consumer base outside China and a solid foundation for future
growth in one of the most promising regions
for e-commerce globally”.
“This investment is consistent with our strategy of connecting brands, distributors and consumers wherever they are and will support our
expansion in South-East Asia,” Evans insisted.
Lazada offered a “unique solution”, he claimed, for global brands and distributors seeking
to enter what was a “rapidly growing” region.
Alibaba’s own Tmall e-commerce website
is used by numerous consumer healthcare firms
to sell their products in China. Pfizer recently
revealed that the Tmall platform had allowed
the company to reach Chinese consumers more
easily (OTC bulletin, 8 April 2016, page 1).
Earlier this month, Alibaba abandoned plans
to transfer its online pharmacy marketplace
from Tmall to its affiliate Alibaba Health, citing “substantial regulatory uncertainties” in
relation to the country’s healthcare market.
Alibaba said it would instead look to hand
over to Alibaba Health a portion of its dietary
supplements, health foods and nutritional products business, which is currently operated by
Tmall (OTC bulletin, 8 April 2016, page 7).
OTC
OTC bulletin 22 April 2016
COMPANY NEWS OTC
Mergers & Acquisitions
Aspen Park and
FHC to merge
A
spen Park Pharmaceuticals is set to merge
with the Female Health Company (FHC),
in a deal that the two US-based firms described
as “transformational”. The financial details of
the transaction were not disclosed.
The proposed merger – which is expected
to close in the third quarter of 2016 – will
bring together female condom manufacturer
FHC with OTC and prescription medicines development firm Aspen Park.
Consumer healthcare products currently being developed by Aspen Park include wipes for
reducing the incidence of premature ejaculation – which the company plans to launch
later this year under the Preboost brand name –
and a sexual-health dietary supplement.
Under the terms of the merger agreement,
FHC and Aspen’s shareholders will own 55%
and 45% respectively of the shares of the combined company.
Commenting on the deal, Aspen Park’s
chief executive officer, Mitchell Steiner, said
the merger would “strategically join” the firm’s
“multiple high-profile drug candidates” with
FHC’s “market leading” FC2 female condom.
“I am excited by the prospect of advancing
the combined company’s promising product
development programme,” Steiner insisted,
“while at the same time expanding the market
for FC2 and leveraging a state-of-the-art, modular manufacturing facility and global distribution network.”
Large development portfolio
O.B. Parrish, FHC’s chairman and chief executive officer, said the merger would create
a “powerful company with solid cash flows
and a deep product development portfolio”.
“The strategic benefits of the transaction deliver on our objective to add a diversified and
complementary mix of products that has the
potential to substantially expand our revenue
base and grow our business,” Parrish added.
“We believe merging with Aspen Park,” continued Parrish, “will provide the company with
exciting new opportunities.”
Based in Chicago, US, FHC reported sales
up by 33% to US$32.6 million (C40.8 million)
in the 12 months ended 30 September 2015.
According to its most recent US Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, privately-held Aspen Park generates less than
US$1.0 million in annual sales.
OTC
22 April 2016 OTC bulletin
Business Strategy
Merck unveils its plans
to expand in Indonesia
E
xpanding its portfolio of strategic brands
and launching new products will help Merck
KGaA to take its Consumer Health business in
Indonesia to the next level, the firm has claimed.
Describing Indonesia as Consumer Health’s
“largest and most important market in Asia”,
the German firm told OTC bulletin that it had
big plans to “sustain the strong growth momentum” it was currently enjoying in the country.
While Merck does not give sales figures for
its Consumer Health operations in individual
countries, the company said the Indonesia unit
had enjoyed a 16% rise in sales in 2015.
“We were particularly proud of this strong
performance,” Merck said, noting that growth
had been driven by “integrated marketing and
sales campaigns” in support of its Neurobion
and Sangobion strategic brands.
Focused on “engaging consumers by creating high awareness on specific nerve- and bloodhealth related symptoms” the campaigns for the
Neurobion vitamin B line and Sangobion anaemia supplement had been particularly successful, the firm noted.
Commenting on the company’s plans to take
a larger slice of the OTC market in Indonesia,
Merck said it would this year launch two new
products under the Neurobion and Sangobion
brand names.
Although the company would not give specific details of the launch for competitive reasons, Merck did reveal that both products would
“focus on pain”, and one would be a specific
women’s health line.
In addition to new product launches, Merck
explained it would grow the Indonesia business
Merck KGaA intends to grow its Consumer Health
business in Indonesia by promoting its Seven Seas
range to strategic brand status
by adding the Seven Seas cod liver-oil line to
its strategic brands roster.
“We are planning notable efforts to establish Seven Seas as a stronger brand in Indonesia’s vitamins, minerals and supplements market,” the firm insisted. Noting that Seven Seas
had built a small presence in the country, Merck
said it was intent on “driving further growth”.
The promotion of Seven Seas to strategic
status, Merck claimed, would support its longterm goal of implementing Consumer Health’s
global ‘3x3’ strategy in Indonesia. Under its
3x3 strategy, Merck Consumer Health wants to
develop a minimum of three leading brands in
key categories and to achieve at least a 3% market share across the company’s top 15-20 markets.
Expanding on its long-term plans for Indonesia, Merck said it would evaluate opportunities
to introduce a greater number of its global strategic brands to the market, while also continuing
to grow Neurobion, Sangobion and Seven Seas.
OTC
Mergers & Acquisitions
Aché grows in Brazil with Nortis buy
B
razil’s Aché has strengthened its position
in its domestic market by snapping up
OTC and prescription medicines manufacturer
Nortis Farmacêutica for an undisclosed sum.
Under the terms of the deal, Aché has gained
Nortis’ portfolio of antibiotics, non-prescription
medicines and nutraceuticals, plus its manufacturing plant in Londrina.
Nortis’ range of OTC products includes the
Gastroplus heartburn product, Golden Vit dietary supplement and the Kalopé wart treatment.
Commenting on its plans for Nortis, Aché
said it would invest BRL80 million (C19.7 million) in the Londrina facility to boost capacity
in an effort to lift group sales by 15% in 2016.
Aché reported sales up by 9.3% to BRL2.3
billion in 2015, thanks to new product launches
across its non-prescription and prescription
medicines businesses.
The company’s OTC portfolio includes the
Accuvit multivitamin and Dorilax analgesic.
OTC
7
OTC COMPANY NEWS
Mergers & Acquisitions
Allergan set to
close Teva deal
A
llergan “fully expects” to complete the
sale of its Actavis generics business to
Teva during the first half of this year, president
and chief executive officer Brent Saunders has
stated in the wake of Allergan’s merger with
Pfizer collapsing.
Addressing investors shortly after measures
unveiled by the US Treasury tightening the restrictions around inversion deals caused Allergan and Pfizer to mutually terminate the merger
(see right), Saunders maintained that the Actavis deal would close by June.
“We think that Teva has done a very good
job at working diligently to clear the antitrust
authorities around the world, they have secured
approval in Europe, they are working hard
with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
and we are very confident that they will get this
deal closed in the coming weeks,” he insisted.
Approval from the European Commission,
albeit with significant conditions attached in
Iceland, Ireland and the UK, came a month
ago (OTC bulletin, 25 March 2016, page 4).
However, at the same time, Teva said that
FTC approval of the deal could take until June,
three months later than originally anticipated.
Announcing the US$40.5 billion (C35.6 billion) acquisition last year (OTC bulletin, 14
August 2015, page 3), Teva noted the deal included Allergan’s “Actavis global generics business, including the US and international generics commercial units, third-party supplier
Medis, global generics manufacturing operations, the global generics research and development unit, the international OTC commercial
unit – excluding eye-care products – and some
established international brands”.
Meanwhile, when quizzed by an investor on
the provisions and terms that would “allow Teva
to walk away” from the deal, Saunders stressed
both parties’ dedication to complete the transaction. “Just to be clear, Teva does not want to
walk away, we do not want to walk away, both
management teams are absolutely aligned on
getting this deal [completed],” he said.
OTC
IN BRIEF
■ DAIICHI SANKYO is to establish new
US headquarters in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. The new site will incorporate the firm’s
existing offices in Edison and Parsippany.
OTC
8
Mergers & Acquisitions
Pfizer and Allergan merger
scuppered by US tax move
P
fizer and Allergan have terminated “by
mutual agreement” their planned US$160
billion (C140 billion) merger in the wake of
measures announced by the US Treasury and
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to limit taxinversion transactions.
The deal had been scheduled to close during
the second half of this year (OTC bulletin, 27
November 2015, page 9). Pfizer will reimburse
Allergan US$150 million for expenses associated with the transaction.
Allergan still expects to sell its Actavis generics unit – including its international OTC
business – to Teva for US$40.5 billion by June
(see left).
On 4 April, the US Treasury announced that
it was taking action to “limit inversions by disregarding foreign parent stock attributable to
recent inversions or acquisitions of US companies”. This move, it said, would prevent foreign
companies from acquiring US firms in sharebased transactions and then using their increased size to avoid current inversion thresholds
for subsequent US acquisitions.
The Treasury aims to “address earnings stripping” through measures including new rules on
debt, interest deductions and due diligence.
“Transactions should be driven by genuine
business strategies and economic efficiencies,
not a desire to shift the tax residence of a parent entity to a low-tax jurisdiction simply to
avoid US taxes,” insisted the Treasury, which
urged Congress “to move forward with antiinversion legislation this year”.
Through the merger, Allergan and Pfizer had
expected to reduce their combined tax rate by
adopting Allergan’s Irish tax domicile.
Following its move to pull the plug on the
Allergan deal, Pfizer announced it had brought
forward a planned decision on whether to split
its Established and Innovative business segments. The company’s Consumer Healthcare
unit sits within the Innovative segment.
Ian Read, the firm’s chairman and chief
executive officer, said Pfizer now planned to
make a decision “by no later than the end of
2016”, consistent with the firm’s original timeframe prior to reaching its agreement with Allergan towards the end of last year. After the
agreement was reached, Read said that no decision would be made before the end of 2018,
due to the scale of integrating Allergan.
Pfizer’s Global Established Products business comprises legacy brands that “have lost
or will soon lose market exclusivity in both
developed and emerging markets, branded generics, generic sterile injectable products, biosimilars and infusion systems”.
OTC
Mergers & Acquisitions
Adcock Ingram offloads Cosme operation
A
dcock Ingram has agreed to sell the sales
and marketing arm of its Cosme Farma
operation in India, Adcock Ingram Healthcare,
to local private-equity firm Samara Capital Partners for INR1.51 billion (C20.1 million) in cash.
The South African firm, which expects the
transaction to close “by the end of July 2016”,
subject to certain closing conditions, will retain
Cosme’s regulatory services business covering
“quality control and assurance, medical affairs,
information technology support and research
and development services”.
Just under a year ago, Adcock revealed
that it was looking to offload Cosme, which
had been hit with asset-impairment charges of
ZAR74.4 million (C4.51 million) and ZAR278
million in the firm’s financial years ending
June 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Commenting on the agreement with Samara,
Adcock explained that Cosme’s sales and marketing arm did not “meet the company’s current
investment criteria”, and “as a result, the company has decided to exit this business”.
Adcock paid INR4.80 billion, plus INR480
million in taxes and charges, for the Cosme
operation in 2012, in a bid to diversify the
firm’s operations outside of South Africa (OTC
bulletin, 27 July 2012, page 8).
OTC
IN BRIEF
■ BIOSTIME – the Chinese owner ofAustralia’s
Swisse Wellness – reported sales up by 1.8%
to RMB4.82 billion (C657 million) in 2015.
OTC
OTC bulletin 22 April 2016
COMPANY NEWS OTC
Business Strategy
Alliance Pharma targets expansion in Asia
A
lliance Pharma is intent on expanding its
OTC business in China and the “fast-growing” markets of South-East Asia, according to
chief executive officer John Dawson.
Speaking to OTC bulletin as the firm reported its 2015 results, Dawson said Alliance
would look to build on its “growing strength”
in China and South-East Asia by going after
acquisitions to bolster its OTC and prescription
businesses in those markets.
“We recognise that part of the world as being
very fast-growing and exciting,” Dawson noted.
Alliance had people on the ground in Shanghai “looking for opportunities that would suit
our business”, he revealed, and was opening an
office in Singapore to do the same.
While the firm had been “progressively”
building its presence in China over the past
few years, Dawson said the business had recently been given a shot in the arm by Alliance’s
acquisition of Sinclair IS Pharma’s Healthcare
Products business.
The deal – announced in December (OTC
bulletin, 11 December 2015, page 3) – had
added to Alliance’s portfolio the scar-treatment
brand Kelo-Cote, he noted, which sold “particularly well” in China. “China is Kelo-Cote’s
biggest market, so its addition really is a boost
for the operations we previously had in the
country,” Dawson noted.
The company also offers the Forceval supplement for pregnant women in China, as well
as a number of infant-formula products such
as Suprememil.
Acquiring Sinclair’s Healthcare Products
business had also had a beneficial effect on Alliance’s South-East Asia operation, Dawson
pointed out, adding to the portfolio the KeloStretch stretch-mark treatment.
“In South-East Asia, we used to sell our
products very much at arms length, as we didn’t
have anyone on the ground in the region,” he
explained. “The Sinclair deal gave us a base in
South-East Asia and we have just recruited a
local manager to run that business.”
Away from Asia, Alliance remained “open to
opportunities” to expand its dominant Western
Europe business, Dawson noted. The Sinclair deal
had helped it to realise its ambition to have a
presence in the “big five” European markets, he
said, by adding infrastructure in Italy and Spain.
With the firm now operating in these markets, as well as in France, Germany and the
UK, Alliance had become a “much better contender for [acquisition] opportunities” in Europe,
Dawson insisted.
22 April 2016 OTC bulletin
Commenting on the type of deals that would
interest Alliance, Dawson said the firm was open
to both transformational and tuck-in acquisitions.
“Small bolt-ons are very useful as they can
be easily integrated,” he pointed out. “But given
the scale-up that we’ve achieved through the
Sinclair deal, we now have the wherewithal to
tackle things that would have been out of reach
one or two years ago.”
While the firm was still on the look-out for
opportunities, Dawson insisted that Alliance’s
short-term priority was completing the integration of Sinclair’s Healthcare Products business.
Turning to Alliance’s annual results, Dawson reported turnover up by 11% to £48.3 million (C60.5 million), thanks to better sales of the
Hydromol emollient brand and the addition of
Sinclair’s Healthcare Products business.
While the firm does not break down its prescription and consumer healthcare sales, Dawson
revealed that non-prescription products accounted for around 25% of the company’s turnover.
The firm’s consumer healthcare portfolio
includes the Ashton & Parsons teething powders,
Lypsyl skin-care brand and Macushield eyehealth supplement, as well as Forceval, KeloCote and Kelo-Stretch.
Acquiring Macushield before the Sinclair
deal had helped boost consumer healthcare turnover, Dawson said, with the brand generating
£3.5 million in 10 months.
Noting that Macushield had “major potential for internationalisation”, Dawson said he
expected sales of the product to “grow significantly” in the next few years.
While Macushield helped to drive up group
turnover, sales of both Ashton & Parsons and
Lypsyl had remained flat in the 12 months,
Dawson reported.
Sales of Ashton & Parsons had “levelled-off”
at £1.5 million, he noted, after strong growth
in 2014. Lypsyl’s turnover had remained static
at £1.1 million, Dawson added, as Alliance
focused its efforts on repositioning the brand
for its relaunch later this year.
OTC
9
OTC GENERAL NEWS
Regulatory Affairs
Regulatory Affairs
JSMI outlines
OTC priorities
A
ccelerating the prescription-to-OTC switch
process is one of the Japan Self-Medication
Industry’s (JSMI’s) seven priorities to grow the
country’s OTC industry in the next 12 months.
Outlining its policies for the coming year,
the JSMI said that speeding up the switch procedure would allow better choices for consumers to prevent “symptom manifestation in lifestyle diseases”, and improve the overall quality of consumers’ lives.
The association said it would also explore
whether general diagnostic devices should be
made available OTC.
Furthermore, the JSMI wants to increase
engagement with medical professionals to help
encourage more consumers to self-care.
The association said it would call for more
consultation rooms in pharmacies and drugstores, and a “regional comprehensive care
system” that would “enable co-operation and
stronger collaboration” between doctors, pharmacists and nurses.
Turning to more regulatory matters, the JSMI
said it wanted a review of the wording on labels
for ‘quasi-drugs’ – such as vitamin and tonic
drinks – to enable consumers to choose appropriate products and to differentiate these options
from foods with functional claims.
The JSMI said it would also create an “appropriate advertising standard” and guidelines
for promoting pharmaceuticals.
It would also help educate consumers on
how they could benefit from an income tax reduction on the purchase of OTC drugs set to
come into force in January 2017, the JSMI said.
Meanwhile, the association is also encouraging manufacturers to provide information
in other languages on product packaging to encourage purchases by non-Japanese speakers
who live in, or are visiting, Japan.
Noting that Japanese OTC medicines were
“highly trusted overseas, particularly in Asia”,
the JSMI said information should be provided
in Chinese, English and Korean.
To achieve this, product labelling should
include codes that could be scanned by nonJapanese consumers using a ‘Uni-Voice’ smartphone translator app, the JSMI explained. Foreign-language documents would also be provided through a self-medication database, it added.
The association also plans to support the
standardisation of OTC pharmaceutical regulations in Asia.
OTC
10
NZSMI voices opposition
to repackaging proposal
T
he New Zealand Self-Medication Industry
(NZSMI) is against the proposed changes
that would allow pharmacists to repackage restricted and pharmacy-only generic medicines
and sell them instead of proprietary brands.
A proposal put forward by the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand (PSNZ) recommends a change in classification wording
for the restricted – pharmacist-only – medicines lansoprazole and promethazine to remove
the requirement that the product should only
be sold in the manufacturers’ original pack.
Pharmacy-only medicines covered
The pharmacy-only medicines ibuprofen,
omeprazole and pantoprazole, as well as ranitidine, were also proposed for removal of the
requirement by the PSNZ.
However, smaller packs of ranitidine with
a general-sale classification would still be sold
in the manufacturer’s original pack.
Meanwhile, for sumatriptan, the PSNZ wants
to remove the requirement that the product has
to be sold in a pack that has received the consent of the minister or the director-general for
its sale as a restricted medicine.
A similar request has been made for the pharmacy-only medicines opium and pholcodine.
The PSNZ insisted in its proposal that “not
having to rely on the availability of, or conform to the presentation of a specific pack, will
mean for some patients a safer or more affordable medicine may be provided”, and any requirements of supply – such as age restrictions,
indications and maximum dose size – would
still apply to the smaller or cheaper packs.
However, in a letter to the medicines regulator Medsafe – whose Medicines Classification Committee (MCC) is due to discuss the
proposal at its meeting on 3 May – the NZSMI’s
executive director Tim Roper argues that the
level of detailed product information on manufacturers’ packs will not be matched by pharmacists providing their own packs.
This may potentially deprive consumers of
a permanent source of product information for
reference after purchase, Roper points out.
It will also raise questions as to what Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) a pharmacist would supply if the product was dispensed from a larger prescription pack, Roper
notes, and whether the pharmacist would be
held liable for any “misadventure” due to the
use of inappropriately-labelled products.
Noting that there are over 900 pharmacies in
New Zealand, Roper adds that the propoal will
lead to inconsistent “practices when preparing
and packing and labelling products for sale”.
Impossible to track packages
The letter also claims that dispensing repackaged medicines may cause problems in
terms of post-market surveillance. It would also
affect traceability, as a recall of a particular
pack through identification of batch number
would be “impossible”.
Furthermore, the PSNZ’s proposal may “seriously” impact sales of OTC drugs, Roper warns.
OTC
Regulatory Affairs
EFSA puts forward AIs for vitamin D
R
ecommended dietary reference values
(DRVs) for vitamin D have been put forward by the European Food Safety Authority
(EFSA) for public consultation.
Noting that average requirements (ARs) and
population reference intakes (PRIs) for vitamin
D could not be derived, EFSA’s panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) has
proposed in its draft scientific opinion Adequate
Intakes (AIs) for adults, children and infants,
as well as for pregnant and lactating women.
For adults – including pregnant or lactating
women – an AI for vitamin D is set at 15µg/
day. This is the same for children between one
and 17 years of age, while the AI for infants aged
from seven to 11 months is set at 10µg/day.
The AIs for adults and children were based
on a meta-regression analysis, the NDA pointed out, which was carried out on data “collected
under conditions of minimal cutaneous vitamin
D synthesis”.
In the presence of cutaneous vitamin D synthesis, the requirement for dietary vitamin D
would be lower, the panel said, or even zero.
Comments should be submitted by 16 May.
OTC
OTC bulletin 22 April 2016
GENERAL NEWS OTC
Industry Associations
French self-care model could save C1.5bn
F
rance’s self-medication sector is poised to
grow and develop, but the country lacks the
“political willpower to place self-care at the
heart of a new healthcare strategy”, according
to a comprehensive ‘Manifesto’ document that
has been published by local self-medication
industry association Afipa.
“In France, everything is ready to increase
rapidly the development of self-care,” the document insists. “Patients, pharmacists, industry,
distribution networks and even general practitioners (GPs) are gradually joining this trend.”
“Our healthcare system, while it is remarkable, suffers from an ever-increasing deficit,
and its sustainability is threated by sociological challenges it is unable to meet,” Afipa points
out. But the country lacks the political will to
make self-care a key part of France’s healthcare
strategy, the association believes.
“This is both surprising and unfortunate,
as we know that promoting self-care means we
can provide a documented, solid, efficient, federated response to the organisational and financing issues faced by our healthcare system,” the
Manifesto states.
Nevertheless, Afipa maintains that it and its
members are “ready and willing to share their
expertise, and support any political action aiming to develop self-care in France”.
To this end, Afipa’s Manifesto sets out three
key pillars of action that the association believes will aid the development of France’s selfmedication sector: to “reform the rules of financial coverage and develop the offering of selfmedication”; to “unite healthcare professionals
and patients”; and to “facilitate self-medication
and to ensure that it is financially accessible, and
capable of obtaining the support of patients”.
Under the first pillar, Afipa urges the French
authorities to establish a list of “benign pathologies” considered suitable for self-medication,
and to make all molecules associated with these
pathologies available without prescription.
“A reform of the way healthcare costs are
covered must be implemented today, and pathology is the starting point,” Afipa believes. “The
cost of benign pathologies must be borne individually,” the association insists.
“A list of these benign pathologies has been
proposed by Afipa, based in particular on the
list defined by the French healthcare products
safety agency (ANSM),” the Manifesto points
out. These pathologies include minor and moderate acne; occasional adult constipation; and
dry and irritating cough. “All the molecules
which treat these benign pathologies must no
22 April 2016 OTC bulletin
longer be financed collectively,” Afipa insists.
The association notes that self-medication
is “much less developed in France than in other
countries”, with self-medication volumes representing 15.4% of the overall French market “versus 32.3% on average in Germany, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Sweden and the UK”.
“When compared with the situation in other
European countries, the potential for the development of self-medication in France is very significant,” Afipa believes, claiming in the report
that “90 molecules could become available OTC
if France were aligned with its neighbouring
European countries”.
This discrepancy between France and the
rest of Europe “illustrates the inadequacy of
the French system, which does not respond to
the evolution of our society and the ever-increasing demand of the French people to take
more control of their healthcare”, Afipa says.
Unite all professionals
Under the pillar of uniting healthcare professionals and patients, Afipa proposes organising “a large-scale conference on responsible
self-medication, gathering all healthcare professionals in order to involve them in the reflection
process, and provide them with tools to support
them in their daily practice”.
In particular, the association suggests providing “decision trees” to facilitate the delivery
of OTC medicine, indicating self-medication
medicines on a patient’s pharmaceutical and
medical records, implementing specific training programmes relating to OTC medicines, and
setting-up an “annual GP consultation focused
on self-medication”.
Other important initiatives would include
increasing the competencies of pharmacists by
giving them the option to deliver certain additional products, provided that they complete
specific training programmes.
Furthermore, Afipa also believes it is key
to “inform the French people about responsible
self-medication by reinforcing health education
via an information campaign”. This could be
delivered by the French National Institute for
Prevention and Health Education, Afipa suggests, and by “implementing dedicated educational programmes”.
Finally, under the pillar of facilitating selfmedication by ensuring that it is financially accessible for patients, Afipa suggests applying
“an appropriate value-added tax (VAT) rate” to
self-medication. “The current rate of 10% is
too high,” the association believes.
Afipa proposes a self-medication VAT rate
of “2.1%, as for prescription medicines, due to
the fact that self-medication medicines must
comply with the same marketing regulations
and offer the same safety guarantees”.
Moreover, by including self-medication in
France’s universal illness coverage ‘CMU’ insurance programme, Afipa says the country
could “provide free self-medication medicine
to people with limited financial means”.
Taking into account all of Afipa’s proposals
to expand the scope of French self-medication,
develop the use of OTC medicines and reform
the country’s healthcare financing model, the
association believes “the model proposed here
would result in major savings exceeding C1.5
billion in only one year”.
This would include savings on medical consultations as well as on reimbursement of medicines by public health insurance.
“On average, 16 out of 100 patients seen in
consultation suffer from a problem which could
be solved with responsible self-medication, without involving a GP,” Afipa claims. “The development of self-care could therefore regulate
healthcare by improving access to GPs and
limiting congestion in emergency wards.”
“Resources exist, they are ready to be deployed and will enable the system to adapt and
increase its efficiency,” Afipa insists. “One of
those remarkable resources is self-care – and
more precisely, self-medication – which has proven its efficiency in neighbouring European countries, where it has rationalised healthcare provision and generated substantial savings while
meeting the needs of patients and consumers.”
Self-medication has the potential to “create the foundations of a sustainable, reformed
healthcare system”, Afipa’s Manifesto concludes, “able to mirror the evolution of our
population, meet new health challenges, and
take into account economic constraints”.
Observing that the French self-medication
market has been “unstable for several years now”
– with sales declining by 3% in 2013 and by
0.3% in 2014, only to rebound and grow by
5.2% in 2015 (OTC bulletin, 19 February 2016,
page 20) – Afipa said this was because the market was simply reacting to events, such as the
appearance of particular pathologies.
“In order to respond to French demand and
fully realise its economic potential,” Afipa believes, “the French self-medication market must
be supported by strong political drive and concrete measures.”
OTC
11
OTC GENERAL NEWS
Market Research
mHealth consumers identified in the US
O
ver a third of US adults use apps, websites,
wearable monitoring devices or smartphones to keep track of their health, with almost half of users employing two or more platforms, according to new research from Kantar Health.
Findings of the firm’s National Health and
Wellness Survey showed that 37% of American
adults used at least one website, app or wearable device to manage their health and wellness (see Figure 1).
Around 44% of those that used mHealth
tools were using two or more, the company
added, with websites the most popular platform.
Women were more likely to track their health
than men, the research found. In terms of age,
‘health trackers’ had an average age of 43, while
those that did not had an average age of 49.
Furthermore, health trackers were less likely
to smoke, more likely to drink alcohol, and less
likely to be obese than non-trackers, Kantar
pointed out. Despite this, they were more likely
to be trying to lose weight and they were also
watching their diet and exercising more often
(see Figure 2).
Exploring health trackers’ motives, Kantar
said that 46% were trying to lower their risk
of developing certain health conditions. By com63%
2%
Insurance
provider app
on smartphone
7%
8%
9%
11%
12%
mHealth
wearable
technology
Health and
wellness app
on smartphone
Exercise
app on
smartphone
Insurance
provider
website
Health and
wellness
website
14%
Exercise tips
or routines
on website
Nothing
Figure 1: mHealth tools used by Americans to manage their health and wellness (Source – Kantar Health)
All mHealth users
All mHealth non-users
Figure 2: Behaviour of users and non-users of mHealth platforms (Source – Kantar Health)
81%
57%
58%
44%
26%
11%
Food
diary
31%
15%
Monitoring
blood
pressure
Monitoring
pulse
Monitoring
heart rate
Monitoring
sleep
Tracking
Tracking
fitness goals calories burned
during exercise
Figure 3: Breakdown of what users of activity trackers use the products for (Source – Kantar Health)
12
parison, 32% of non-users were also trying to
reduce their risk, Kantar said.
Heart attacks or other heart problems topped
the list of conditions mHealth users were trying to prevent, the company noted, followed
by diabetes and stroke.
Interestingly, the survey showed that mHealth
users had a “slightly lower mental quality of
life”, Kantar revealed, with the more platforms
a person used, the lower their mental quality of
life, but the higher their physical quality of life.
Furthermore, mHealth users were less productive at work, Kantar said, with users also reporting higher levels of absenteeism.
Despite mHealth’s growing popularity with
consumers – the mHealth market is expected
to be worth over US$50 billion (C44 billion)
by 2019 – US physicians were still not entirely
convinced on the benefits of mHealth platforms, especially when it came to wearable devices, Kantar revealed.
“Cost is a significant factor for why physicians would not recommend wearables, with
59% saying they are too expensive for many
patients,” Kantar pointed out. “Technology
issues are also an influence, with 42% of physicians saying there are too many technology
hurdles to patients using wearable devices correctly or consistently.”
Tracking
steps taken
during day
Misled patients on health status
A third of physicians also worried that the
use of mHealth devices could mislead patients
into believing they were healthier or unhealthier than they actually were, the survey found.
If the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) were actively to regulate and approve
mHealth or wearable devices, Kantar noted,
21% of physicians would strongly consider
recommending them.
Kantar said three key mHealth platforms
– activity trackers, web-connected glucose monitors and web-connected blood-pressure monitors – offered healthcare firms big opportunities.
Activity trackers was the leading category
of wearable healthcare devices, Kantar pointed
out, with sales in 2015 more than doubling.
Typically available as watches, bracelets or
clip-ons, activity trackers can track steps taken,
heart rate, sleep, calories consumed and burned,
and stress levels.
As Figure 3 shows, the most common use
for activity trackers was measuring steps taken
during the day. Tracking fitness goals and monitoring calories burned during exercise were
also popular.
OTC bulletin 22 April 2016
GENERAL NEWS OTC
Yet, while activity trackers had a high profile, actual use was somewhat low, with only
7% of American adults saying they used such
devices, Kantar revealed. Of that figure, over
half of users were women (see Figure 4).
However, in defined population groups, the
level of use increased, the company noted. People that suffered from certain chronic conditions were more likely to use activity trackers
compared to the general population, it added,
citing the 9% of adults with migraines and
7.5% of adults with asthma that were users.
Use of wearables also had benefits to society in general, Kantar claimed, pointing out that
those who used activity trackers had a higher
mental and physical quality of life than the overall population. They also enjoyed higher productivity rates at work.
The market for activity trackers still had
plenty of room for development, Kantar explained, with new products entering the market that
could correct a user’s technique during exercise, monitor breathing, and measure body fat
percentage, muscle mass and body mass.
Ingestible activity trackers
Looking further ahead, the future of activity
trackers could move away from the classic wearable model, the company said, noting that Hosain Rahman, chief executive officer of activity
tracker firm Jawbone, had claimed that the next
generation of such products could be ingestible.
“The first thing you have to crack through
is actually getting people to wear [the tracker],”
Rahman pointed out, “but if the product is on
all the time, the amount of information you
get about the user is staggering.”
Turning to web-connected blood-glucose
monitors, Kantar pointed out that physicians
were now recommending them to diabetic
patients. However, the vast majority of sufferers – 72% – were not aware that such monitors existed.
Diabetics also remained unsure about sharing their personal-health data, the company
Currently using web-connected
blood-pressure monitors
Figure 4: Breakdown of users of activity trackers (Source – Kantar Health)
Yes, I am familiar and currently using
Yes, I am familiar and currently not using, but I intend to in the future
Yes, I am familiar and currently not using, and I do not intend to in the future
Yes, I’m interested in having my blood pressure
recorded via a smartphone for easy access
I’m not sure whether I’m interested in having my blood pressure
recorded via a smartphone app for easy access
No, I’m not interested in having my blood pressure
recorded via a smartphone app for easy access
No, I am not aware
6%
17%
24%
27%
49%
74%
Figure 5: Awareness of web-connected blood-pressure monitors among hypertensives (Source – Kantar Health)
noted. Only 23% of diabetics said that they
were interested in having their glucose readings securely recorded, with 51% saying they
were not interested.
The survey also found that diabetic patients
who were using web-connected glucose monitors seemingly had less control of their condition than those who were not aware of these
tools, Kantar claimed.
Although both groups were testing with the
Not aware of web-connected
blood-pressure monitors
Daily
Monthly
Weekly
Only at the doctor’s office
Figure 6: Frequency that users and non-users of web-connected blood-pressure monitors measure their blood
pressure (Source – Kantar Health)
22 April 2016 OTC bulletin
4%
same frequency, patients using web-connected
devices were more likely to experience a hypoglycemia episode that required them to seek
assistance from another person.
Web-connected blood-pressure monitors suffered from the same low profile as glucose
monitors, Kantar said, in that the majority of
patients with hypertension were unaware that
such devices were available (see Figure 5).
Unsurprisingly, those that used web-connected blood-pressure monitors checked their blood
pressure more frequently than those who did
not use such devices (see Figure 6).
A quarter of users said that they checked
their blood pressure daily, Kantar pointed out,
compared with just 10% of those who were
not aware of such devices.
Some patients might be using web-connected
blood-pressure monitors because they had experienced hypertension-related complications,
Kantar said. Nevertheless, users with a history
of complications were less likely to treat their
condition with prescription medicines and were
more likely to use OTC products than patients
who did not use monitors.
OTC
13
OTC MARKETING NEWS
Marketing Campaigns
Product Launches
Science focus Kobayashi grows OTC line
for Sensodyne with pain and acne options
G
laxoSmithKline (GSK) is educating UK
consumers on the science behind its Sensodyne Repair & Protect sensitive-teeth range with
a £2.3 million (C2.9 million) campaign.
As part of the marketing push, a television
advertisement features Jonathan Earl, Sensodyne’s science and research lead, explaining the
causes of tooth sensitivity.
The commercial – which will air until August – was being supported by digital activity
until May, the firm pointed out. There would
also be print advertising, GSK noted.
Despite over two-thirds of the UK population suffering with “signs of sensitivity”, the
company claimed only 19% of people with
tooth sensitivity used a toothpaste designed to
tackle the problem.
Pointing out that shoppers found it difficult
to differentiate between oral-care variants and
select the option that was right for their needs,
the firm maintained that educating consumers
on the science behind sensitivity would help
them to understand the cause and subsequently
to choose “appropriate products”, such as Sensodyne Repair & Protect.
Meanwhile, from August, the Sensodyne
Repair & Protect range would be further supported by a television campaign featuring a
dentist, GSK pointed out.
This advertisement was likely to air until the
autumn, the firm said, with supporting digital
activity set to begin in September.
Formulated with Novamin – a bioactive
glass – and sodium fluoride, the Sensodyne Repair & Protect toothpaste line is said by GSK to
be clinically proven to provide long-lasting sensitivity relief and daily protection from dentine
hypersensitivity when used twice daily.
OTC
IN BRIEF
■ ORTHOMOL PHARMA is offering German pharmacists who order its Orthomol Arthroplus joint-health product the opportunity to
have light-up shoe clips to give away to customers. The waterproof and “unbreakable” shoe
clips had a blue LED light that flashed with
every step to ensure athletes and active people
were visible, the German firm explained, making them an “ideal companion for sports activities at dawn and dusk”. The shoe clips are
available until the end of May.
OTC
14
J
apanese firm Kobayashi has grown its OTC
offering in its domestic market with topical
products for pain and acne.
To expand its pain-relief portfolio, the firm
has added a NEO option – available as a lotion
in two sizes and a gel – to its Anmerutsu line.
Classified as category II medicines – those
with side effects that may possibly cause health
hazards to the extent of disrupting daily life –
Anmerutsu NEO is claimed by the company
to be the first range in Japan to combine diclofenac sodium with three ingredients to stimulate blood circulation.
Meanwhile, Anmerutsu NEO lotion was
available in a ‘Long’ 90ml bottle with a lengthier neck, Kobayashi noted, enabling consumers
to reach the back more easily.
Anmerutsu NEO lotion provides 1g diclofenac sodium and 5g l-menthol as analgesics,
as well as 100mg tocopherol acetate, 12mg nonanoic acid vanillylamide and 10mg nicotinic
acid benzyl ester per 100g.
The Anmerutsu NEO gel offers per 100mg
the same amounts of the ingredients in the lotion,
with the exception of 6g menthol.
The odourless products can be applied threeto-four times a day to relieve various types of
pain, including bruises, muscle pains, sprains,
stiff necks, and tendonitis.
Anmerutsu NEO is suitable for use by those
aged 15 years and over. The range is not recommended for use during pregnancy.
Both the Anmerutsu topical analgesics and Senakyua
acne spray are category II OTC drugs
The Anmerutsu line also includes heat patches
and a Gold EX lotion, which is formulated with
felbinac and nonanoic acid vanillylamide.
Available in pharmacies and drugstores, Anmerutsu NEO has recommended retail prices
of ¥1,404 (C11.43) for a 46ml bottle, ¥2,502
for a 90ml bottle and ¥1,404 for the gel.
Meanwhile, Kobayashi has rolled out a Senakyua spray that is intended to treat acne on
the back and décolletage.
Senakyua – which is also a category II drug
– contains 0.5g salicylic acid, 22.84g ethanol
and 0.2g allantoin per 100g, is claimed to fight
bacteria, smooth skin and reduce redness.
The spray should be used morning and
evening, Kobayashi recommends, noting that
the product’s format allowed it to be widely
applied to the hard-to-reach back area.
A 100ml bottle of Senakyua spray has a recommended retail price of ¥1,296 without tax.
OTC
Reckitt Benckiser (RB) will promote its recentlylaunched E45 Fast Acting 24H Spray Moisturiser
range in the UK between June and August with a
£1.6 million (C2.0 million) television campaign.
“The intense protection of E45, now in a fastabsorbing spray” will be the tagline of the campaign,
which will support the Derma Protect and Intense
Recovery variants.
E45 Derma Protect Fast Acting 24H Spray
Moisturiser was “clinically proven to lock in moisture
and help repair dry and sensitive skin”, RB explained,
adding that it was also suitable for eczema-prone skin.
Meanwhile, the Intense Recovery option helped
to “relieve and repair very dry skin and replenish the
skin’s natural barrier”, the firm claimed.
RB added that other promotional activity would
include pharmacy detailing – beginning in May – as
well as in-store point-of-sale activity and “digital and
social media support”, which would start in June.
Public-relations activity was already underway,
RB pointed out.
The firm said the campaign would focus in
particular on 24-44 year olds suffering from “dry/
sensitive” and “very dry” skin.
OTC
OTC bulletin 22 April 2016
MARKETING NEWS OTC
Product Launches
Maxicold and
Codelac expand
O
TCPharm has grown its presence in Russia’s cold and flu market by adding a children’s syrup to its Maxicold line and a doublesize pack to its Codelac Neo cough brand.
Containing 100mg ibuprofen per 5ml of
syrup, Maxicold for Children is said to ease fever
and pain associated with colds, such as sore
throats or ears; headaches; and aching muscles.
It could also be used for other types of pain
such as teething, the firm pointed out, as well
as to reduce swelling and redness.
Maxicold for Children – which is available
in orange or strawberry flavours – was suitable
for children aged from three months up to 12
years, OTCPharm noted.
The product is said by OTCPharm to have
a “rapid onset of action,” with effects that could
last for up to eight hours.
A two-way metering spoon – allowing measurements of 2.5ml and 5.0ml – is provided in
every pack of Maxicold for Children.
Other products in the Maxicold range include tablets with paracetamol and phenylephrine hydrochloride – suitable for those aged
over nine years – as well as Rino hot-drink
powders with paracetamol, pheniramine maleate
and phenylephrine hydrochloride, which can be
taken by people over 12 years old.
There is also a hexetidine-containing Maxicold ENT spray, which can be used from three
years of age.
Meanwhile, the addition of a 200ml syrup
to the Codelac Neo dry-cough range, OTCPharm
noted, meant that the Codelac Neo line now
offered the “same choice of liquid dosage forms”
as the leading brand for dry cough on the Russian market, GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK’s) butamirate-based Sinecod.
Like Sinecod, Codelac Neo is also available
in a 100ml bottle and as drops.
Codelac Neo drops are suitable for those
aged over two months, while the syrup can be
used by people over three years old.
OTCPharm also offers Codelac Neo tablets
for consumers aged over 18 years old.
The Codelac line in Russia also includes
Broncho tablets and syrup for mucus cough. The
firm said it also planned to launch a 200ml version of Codelac Broncho syrup – which includes
ambroxol and glycyrrhizic acid – in the future.
A Codelac Pulmo Gel, containing natural
ingredients such as Siberian fir oil and camphor,
is also available.
OTC
22 April 2016 OTC bulletin
Product Launches
Omega’s Dermalex targets
UK’s adult acne sufferers
A
dult acne sufferers are Omega Pharma’s
target market for an Acne Treatment addition to its Dermalex dermatology line in the UK.
Noting that Dermalex Acne Treatment – a
medical device – could be used by all age
groups, the firm said that while an “international study” had shown a fifth of adults were
affected by acne, most OTC solutions were
positioned for the teenage market.
Created with an “MEC4 complex”, the
“breakthrough” product – which does not contain benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid – was
clinically proven to treat mild-to-moderate acne
symptoms such as spots, redness and swelling,
Omega noted, without drying out the skin or
making it sensitive to the sun.
Comprising ingredients such as krameria
extract, glyceryl stearate and the PPG-12/SMDI
copolymer, the MEC4 complex treated acne’s
root causes, Omega said, by creating “a protective layer unfavourable for acne bacteria
growth” and decreasing sebum production.
Omega added that Dermalex Acne Treatment
– which has recently also been launched in
South Africa – helped restore the skin’s natural flora and pH balance.
Clinical trials had shown that 76% of adult
Dermalex Acne Treatment – which does not contain
benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid – is said to be clinically
proven to treat mild-to-moderate acne symptoms
acne sufferers saw a reduction in acne symptoms after four weeks of using Dermalex Acne
Treatment, Omega claimed.
Like the existing Dermalex range – which
includes products for eczema, psoriasis and rosacea – the “easily-absorbed” and “non-greasy”
Dermalex Acne Treatment was also steroid-,
paraben- and perfume-free, the firm pointed out.
A launch campaign for Dermalex Acne
Treatment would include print and digital advertising, Omega said, as well as public-relations activity.
The product is available in Boots and on
boots.com, priced at £18.99 (C23.89).
OTC
Product Launches
Ratiopharm has rival to Boehringer brand
T
eva’s Ratiopharm is offering an alternative
to the BoxaGrippal ibuprofen and pseudoephedrine combination that Boehringer Ingelheim introduced in Germany three years ago
(OTC bulletin, 31 May 2013, page 16).
Like BoxaGrippal, RatioGrippal contains
200mg of ibuprofen and 30mg of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride per coated tablet.
The pharmacy-only medicine is indicated
for relieving nasal congestion, headaches and
fever in adults and children aged from 15 years.
Ratiopharm has set recommended retail
RatioGrippal contains 200mg ibuprofen and 30g
pseudoephedrine hydrochloride per tablet
prices for the cold remedy of C3.58 for 10 tablets, and C6.97 for a pack of 20.
The Teva affiliate’s price for the larger pack
represents approximately a 45% discount to the
C12.59 recommended for the same size pack
of BoxaGrippal.
It is also a tenth lower than the C7.72 price
that Pfizer Consumer Healthcare recommends
for a box of 20 SpaltGrippal tablets, which have
the same formulation.
In March 2013, Germany amended the
country’s prescription order to switch ibuprofen and pseudoephedrine combinations – with
a maximum single dose of 400mg of ibuprofen
and 60mg of pseudoephedrine – from prescription-only to OTC status. This followed a recommendation by its expert committee for prescription in mid-2012 (OTC bulletin, 29 June 2012,
page 16).
OTC
15
OTC MARKETING NEWS
Legal Cases
ACCC proposes A$6m fine
after RB misled consumers
R
Stada Arzneitmittel’s Aesthetics business has
launched in Germany the Skin Infusion nutricosmetics
line, which are the division’s first OTC products.
Available in pharmacies and from cosmetic
dermatologists, the Skin Infusion range comprises a
Beauty drink and capsules.
Formulated with ingredients such as collagen,
glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid, the
Beauty drink could be dissolved in liquid or stirred
into yogurt, Stada Aesthetics explained.
A sachet should be taken per day for two-to-three
months, the firm instructs, to tighten sagging skin
and tackle pale complexion, wrinkles and cellulite.
Meanwhile, the vegan capsules included
extracts of nettle, asparagus, pumpkin and chlorella
– as well as vitamin C – Stada Aesthetics pointed out,
to “counteract tired eyes, puffiness, enlarged pores
and cellulite”.
It is recommended that three capsules are taken
on an empty stomach in the morning.
Targeted “primarily” at women, Skin Infusion was
being supported by a “broad” public-relations campaign
for consumers, pharmacies and doctors, Stada
Aesthetics noted, as well as print activity.
There was also a Skin Infusion Facebook page and
website, the company pointed out.
The firm said it expected the range to be available
in Austria, Italy, the Nordics and the UK by July.
OTC
eckitt Benckiser (RB) should be fined A$6
million (C4.1 million) for misleading consumers over its Nurofen ‘Specific Pain’ products, the Australian Consumer Competition
Commission (ACCC) has told the country’s
Federal Court.
The commission made its demands at a recent hearing to determine RB’s penalty, after
the Federal Court of Australia ruled late last year
that the firm had made “misleading representations” by claiming that each Specific Pain
variant had been formulated to treat a particular
type of pain, despite all products containing
342mg ibuprofen lysine (OTC bulletin, 15 January 2016, page 15).
Stating that the four Specific Pain products – Back Pain, Migraine Pain, Period Pain
and Tension Headache – were sold at almost
double the price of standard Nurofen variants,
the ACCC’s legal representatives told the court
that consumers had been financially harmed
over the space of five years, and that there needed to be a “serious taking away of profit”.
Nurofen’s competitors were also disadvantaged, the court was told, as there was less available shelf space.
In its decision on the case brought by the
ACCC last March (OTC bulletin, 20 March
2015, page 10), the court ordered that the four
Specific Pain products should be removed from
shelves, adding that RB should publish corrective notices on its website and in newspapers, im-
plement a consumer protection compliance programme, and pay the ACCC’s costs.
An “interim packaging agreement” – in the
form of stickers – was arranged with RB for use
following the removal of the products. These
would clearly disclose to consumers that the
products were “equally effective” for other pain.
However, the ACCC’s lawyers claimed at
the hearing that the stickers were being covered
up in some retailers.
In response, RB’s barristers argued that
“rational” consumers would not think a painspecific product was any more effective than
a pain-relief product without such claims, but
that specific indications made the selection process easier.
A spokesperson for UK-based firm told
OTC bulletin that RB had also proposed at the
hearing a much lower fine of A$1.1 million.
The fine amount is expected to be decided
by the end of April.
Meanwhile, the company is also facing a
class action lawsuit from Australian consumers over the range.
The action, launched by Bannister Law last
month (OTC bulletin, 25 March 2016, page 12)
is calling for a full refund for the Specific Pain
products that the consumers purchased, claiming that they “would not have purchased the
product if they had known that it was not more
effective on targeted pain than any of the other
Nurofen products in the range”.
OTC
A lidocaine cream is the latest addition to Chattem’s
IcyHot analgesics range in the US.
Indicated to temporarily relieve minor pain, IcyHot
Lidocaine is formulated with 4% lidocaine hydrochloride
and 1% menthol, and is said by Sanofi’s US subsidiary
to be both fast-acting and long-lasting.
The product’s packaging highlights that IcyHot
Lidocaine – which is suitable for use by those
over 12 years old – contains “maximum strength
lidocaine”, “numbs away pain” and “desensitises
aggravated nerves”.
Meanwhile, the brand website icyhot.com
encourages consumers to “Lidocaine your pain”.
A thin layer of IcyHot Lidocaine should be applied
to the affected area every six-to-eight hours, Chattem
advises, and no more than three times in a 24-hour
period. The product should not be used for more than
one week without consulting a doctor.
The current IcyHot line in the US includes patches
and creams based on ingredients such as menthol,
camphor and methyl salicylate. Chattem also offers
IcyHot SmartRelief transcutaneous electrical nerve
stimulation (TENS) machines.
OTC
16
Laboratoires Bouchara-Recordati has added to its
Hexa range in France by launching an exotic-fruit
flavoured spray for sore throat under the name
Hexaspray Fruits Exotiques.
Suitable for adults and children over six years of
age, the biclotymol-based spray is meant to be used
for two sprays at a time, three times a day, with
treatment lasting no longer than five days.
The product is listed in France as a ‘free access’
medicine, meaning it is available for self-selection in
pharmacies under the scheme that was started in
mid-2008 (OTC bulletin, 31 July 2008, page 17). It
has a recommended retail price of C5.70.
OTC
IN BRIEF
■ GLAXOSMITHKLINE (GSK) aims to
educate Filipino mothers on how they can take
care of their families’ common ailments using
its Ambrolex and Virlix brands with its ‘Expert Mom’ campaign. This includes a ‘Mommy-
Doc’ Facebook page with “expert, but practical” advice on how to address coughs and allergies, the firm pointed out, as well as “trade
merchandising efforts”.
OTC
OTC bulletin 22 April 2016
MARKETING NEWS OTC
Line Extensions
Premium option
joins Loxonin S
D
aiichi Sankyo has added a Premium variant to its Loxonin S loxoprofen sodiumbased analgesics range in Japan.
A category I drug – an OTC product that
is deemed to hold the highest degree of risk
– Loxonin S Premium was formulated with
68.1mg loxoprofen sodium hydrate per twotablet dose, the Japanese firm explained, as well
as 60mg allyl isopropyl acetyl urea and 50mg
anhydrous caffeine, to “enhance the analgesic effect”.
Two tablets also contained 100mg magnesium aluminometasilicate, Daiichi Sankyo
pointed out, to make the product gentler on
the stomach.
Loxonin S Premium is suitable for those
over 15 years old, and is indicated to relieve
pain such as headaches, menstrual pain, toothache and joint pain. The tablets also had an
antipyretic effect in cases of fever, Daiichi
Sankyo pointed out.
The product joins the Loxonin S Plus option
launched last year (OTC bulletin, 24 July 2015,
page 15) and the original Loxonin S tablets
rolled out in 2011, following the prescriptionto-OTC switch of loxoprofen sodium.
A 12-tablet pack of Loxonin S Premium
has a recommended retail price of ¥698 (C5.68)
without tax, while 24 tablets are ¥1,180.
OTC
Sporty people are the target for Quiris Healthcare’s
latest addition to its CH-Alpha line in Germany.
CH-Alpha Sport drinkable ampoules contain a
“tri-complex” of collagen, magnesium and silicic acid,
as well as vitamin C, pantothenic acid and zinc.
Quiris said the collagen helped to regenerate
cartilage in joints, while magnesium supported
muscles and bones, and silicic acid strengthened
ligaments and tendons.
The food supplement is free from gluten and lactose,
and is also included on Germany’s Kölner Liste register
of products that it is safe for competitive people to
take within doping regulations.
A month’s supply of 30 one-a-day ampoules has a
recommended retail price of C52.80.
OTC
22 April 2016 OTC bulletin
Marketing Campaigns
GSK simulates migraines
for US Excedrin campaign
G
SK is boosting awareness among US consumers of its Excedrin headache-relief
brand with its ‘Migraine Experience’ campaign,
which uses what is claimed to be the world’s
first augmented-reality migraine simulator.
The firm claims Excedrin is its first brand to
“leverage augmented-reality technology to conceptualise a health condition”, with the aim of
fostering “a new level of understanding between
those affected by migraine and non-sufferers”.
Claiming that migraines were “an extremely
personal, isolating experience” for the 36 million sufferers in the US, GSK said it used the
technology to allow non-sufferers, for the first
time, to see what it was like to have a migraine.
Said to replicate the symptoms of a migraine
– “everything but the pain” – the Migraine Experience simulator was created from input from
selected migraine sufferers, GSK explained,
on what they most often experienced during an
“episode”, such as aura, disorientation, sensitivity to light and blurred vision.
These symptoms were then replicated, via
an augmented-reality headset, for a person the
sufferer knew – such as a family member or partner – in a controlled environment, GSK noted.
The reactions of sufferers’ counterparts were
recorded, GSK explained, and featured in a
national television commercial that was currently airing. Other full-length videos could be
found on the brand website, excedrin.com, where
consumers can also sign up to receive a free
sample of Excedrin Migraine tablets.
GSK added that the Excedrin Migraine Experience was also being promoted on social
and digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as YouTube and the
lifestyle website sheknows.com.
In addition, the US-only campaign included
“in-store activation” and the launch of a Mi-
Reactions to the migraine experience feature in a
television advertisement, and also appear online
graine Experience app, GSK explained. This
would allow users to experience the simulation via their smartphones, using the Google
Cardboard virtual-reality platform.
The Migraine Experience app would be
available to download from May for both Apple
and Android devices, the firm revealed.
GSK said the television spot – as well as a
public-relations programme – would run until
June 2016, adding that television and radio host
Andy Cohen had been signed up as a spokesperson for the Excedrin Migraine Experience.
The firm said it hoped that the campaign
material would go viral, with “all those who
suffer from migraines” getting the opportunity
to watch and share the content.
“We normally see relatively average engagement in social media for our category,” the company told OTC bulletin, “but we believe we’ll
get hundreds of thousands of consumers to
watch, share and talk about this unique and
powerful campaign.”
The Excedrin range in the US includes PM
Headache, Tension Headache, Migraine and
Extra Strength options.
Formulated with aspirin, caffeine and paracetamol, Excedrin Migraine is claimed to start
relieving pain in just 30 minutes, cut sensitivity
to light and sound, and also relieve nausea.
OTC
IN BRIEF
■ OMEGA PHARMA is offering Belgian
consumers the chance to win a “dream trip”
worth C15,000 to Rio de Janeiro to support the
Belgian national team at this year’s Olympic
games. To enter the contest, consumers should
purchase at least two products from two different participating brands – either the Bibi baby
bottle and dummy line, the Bodysol skin-care
selection, or the Etixx sports-nutrition series –
which the firm noted were official suppliers
to Team Belgium. A photo of the purchase receipt should be emailed to a specific competition address. Entrants must also register their
details online and answer a contest question
and a tie-breaker. Five runners-up will receive
a ‘Rio edition’ Samsonite suitcase. The contest
runs until 25 June 2016.
OTC
17
Recognising the best in the global generics
and biosimilars industries
Presented by Generics bulletin in association with IMS Health
Cocktail Reception & Awards Presentation
Tuesday 4 October 2016
Hotel Porta Fira,The Gran Via complex, Barcelona, Spain
Sponsor, Enter, Join us!
Find out more about sponsoring or
entering an award and joining us on the night:
Visit: www.generics-bulletin.com
Email: [email protected].
Call: +44 1564 777550
Presented by:
In association with:
Sponsored by:
EVENTS OTC
heim and Sanofi will attend this
four-day meeting, run by the Drug
Information Association (DIA).
Contact: DIA Global.
Tel: +86 10 5704 2652.
Email: [email protected].
Website: diaglobal.org.
MAY
10 May
■
FDA: Marketing
Authorisation in the US
Köln, Germany
US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) regulations will be compared with European Union (EU) law
at this one-day seminar.
Contact: Forum Institut für Management.
Tel: +49 6221 500 680.
Fax: +49 6221 500 555.
Email: [email protected].
Website: forum-institut.com.
17-18 May
■
Introducing
Pharmaceutical
Legislation
Bonn, Germany
Pharmacovigilance and regulations
for the delivery of drugs will be
discussed at this one-day meeting,
run by Germany’s medicines manufacturers’ association, the BAH.
Contact: BAH.
Tel: +49 228 957 4556.
Email: [email protected].
Website: bah-bonn.de/widi-services/
fachseminare.
23-24 May
■
Vitafoods Europe
Geneva, Switzerland
A three-day exhibition and conference focusing on nutraceuticals,
and functional foods and drinks.
Contact: Informa Exhibitions.
Tel: +44 20 3377 3616.
Email: maria.sidiropoulou@
informa.com.
Website: vitafoods.eu.com.
JUNE
An Essential Overview
of the Medical Device
and the Pharmaceutical
Industry
London, UK
Day one of this two-day seminar
will provide an overview of the
medical device industry, whilst day
two will focus on the drug development process in the pharmaceutical industry.
Contact: Management Forum.
Tel: +44 20 7749 4730.
Email: [email protected].
Website: management-forum.co.uk.
15-18 May
■
DIA China
8th Annual Meeting
Beijing, China
Speakers from China’s Food and
Drug Administration (CFDA),
AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingel-
22 April 2016 OTC bulletin
Brussels, Belgium
A five-day summit focusing on
medical device regulatory affairs
in Europe and globally.
Contact: Informa Life Sciences.
Tel: +44 207 017 7481.
Email: [email protected].
Website: meddevregs.com.
22-24 June
■
São Paulo, Brazil
Pharmaceuticals, personal care, dietary supplements, and sports nutrition will be covered at this fourday exhibition.
Contact: Informa Exhibitions.
Tel: +55 11 3598 7800.
Fax: +55 11 3598 7801.
Email: [email protected].
Website: fispaltecnologia.com.br.
26-30 June
■
Pharmacovigilance
London, UK
A three-day course covering pharmacovigilance and drug safety.
Contact: Management Forum.
Tel: +44 20 7749 4730.
Email: [email protected].
Website: management-forum.co.uk.
52nd DIA
Annual Meeting
Philadelphia, US
A five-day annual meeting organised by the Drug Information
Association (DIA).
Contact: DIA Global.
Tel: +1 888 257 6457.
Fax: +1 215 442 6199.
Email: customerservice@
diaglobal.org.
Website: diaglobal.org/en/flagship/
dia-2016.
Drug Label and
Package Design
20-22 June
■
The Medical Devices
Introductory Course
London, UK
This three-day course is run by
The Organisation for Professionals
in Regulatory Affairs (TOPRA).
Contact: TOPRA.
Tel: +44 20 7510 2560.
Fax: +44 20 7537 2003.
Email: [email protected].
Website: topra.org.
Fispal Technologia
Bonn, Germany
This one-day event is being run by
Germany’s medicines manufacturers’ association, the BAH.
Contact: BAH.
Tel: +49 228 957 4556.
Email: [email protected].
Website: bah-bonn.de/widi-services/
fachseminare.
EuroPLX 61
Valletta, Malta
This two-day meeting will provide a forum for business development decision makers for discussing and negotiating collaborative agreements in licensing, marketing, and distribution of patented
medicines, generics, biosimilars,
OTC products, medical devices
and food supplements.
Contact: RauCon.
Tel: +49 6221 426 2960.
Email: [email protected].
Website: europlx.com.
MedTech Summit
16 June
■
13-14 June
■
Athens, Greece
‘The future of self-care: Shaping the new environment’ is the theme of this
three-day event being organised by the Association of the European SelfMedication Industry, the AESGP.
The conference will include sessions on: ‘The European market place:
How to be successful in a competitive environment’; ‘Big becoming
bigger: Mergers and acquisitions in the consumer health and pharmaceutical industry’; and ‘Digital strategies to make the market move’.
Speakers will include: Alexandra Nikolakopoulou of the European
Commission; Jan Smits and Jurate Svarcaite of the Pharmaceutical
Group of the European Union (PGEU); Michael Becker of Germany’s medicines manufacturers’ association, the BAH; Alfred Grün and Gerhard
Lötsch of the Austrian Self-Care Association; Brian McNamara of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK); Erica Mann of Bayer Healthcare; Vincent Warnery
of Sanofi; Laurent Faracci of Reckitt Benckiser; Briain de Buitleir of PGT
Healthcare; Jörg-Thomas Dierks of Meda; and Francine O’Brien of IMS.
Contact: AESGP. Tel: +32 2 735 51 30. Fax: +32 2 735 52 22.
Email: [email protected]. Website: aesgp.eu/events/Athens52/.
14-17 June
■
Pharma Marketing
Frankfurt, Germany
Topics to be covered at this twoday event will include: ‘Building
a global healthcare brand’; ‘Even
major OTC brands can grow’; and
‘Facing the future’.
Contact: Inspirato.
Tel: +49 6172 981 96 80.
Fax: +49 6172 981 96 89.
Email: [email protected].
Website: inspirato.de/pharmamarketing-2016.
52nd AESGP Annual Meeting
13-17 June
■
6-7 June
■
12-13 May
■
Pharmaceutical
Regulatory Affairs
in the Middle East
London, UK
Countries to be discussed at this
two-day conference will include
Egypt, Iran, Qatar and SaudiArabia.
Contact: Management Forum.
Tel: +44 20 7749 4730.
Email: [email protected].
Website: management-forum.co.uk.
10-12 May
■
Russian Pharmaceutical
Forum
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Speakers from Boehringer Ingelheim, IMS Health, Pfizer, Sanofi,
Stada and Takeda will attend this
two-day event.
Contact: Adam Smith Conferences.
Tel: +44 20 7017 7444.
Email: enquiries@adamsmith
conferences.com.
Website: russianpharma.com.
10 May
■
31 May-2 June
■
27-29 June
■
Dietary
Supplements
New York, US
Post-conference workshops will
accompany this three-day event,
which will look at legal and regulatory development in the dietary supplements industry.
Contact: Council for
Responsible Nutrition (CRN)
or American Conference.
Tel: +1 888 224 2480.
Fax: +1 877 927 1563.
Email: [email protected].
Website: americanconference.com/
dietarysupplements.
19
OTC BUSINESS STRATEGY
Clear vision drives GSK’s OTC ambitions
A year after GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare and Novartis
Consumer Health joined forces, Brian McNamara, the company’s head of
Europe and the Americas tells Matt Stewart how the combined business will
reach its potential and lead the OTC industry.
“T
he whole vision of bringing
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare and Novartis Consumer Health together, leveraging the capabilities of both and becoming an industry leader, is coming to fruition,” according to Brian McNamara, region
head of Europe and the Americas at the UKbased company.
Speaking to OTC bulletin a little over a
year after the consumer healthcare joint venture
between GSK and Novartis was established
(OTC bulletin, 6 March 2015, page 1), McNamara said that while integration projects were
still ongoing, the enlarged company had “clear
strategies” in place that would ensure growth.
“We have been very clear on our priorities,”
he pointed out, “with a focus on our seven
power brands, 12 core brands, and on our priority countries – six emerging and six developed.”
“Furthermore, we are focused on five global
categories – pain relief, oral care, respiratory,
nutrition/gastrointestinal and skin health,” he said.
Internally, layers of management had been
reduced and areas of responsibility had been
increased, McNamara explained, with the intent
of “speeding up decision making and getting
a much tighter focus on driving growth and delivering to the consumer and the retailer”.
Established through a three-part deal between
GSK and Novartis, the joint operation – in which
GSK holds a controlling 63.5% stake – generated 2015 sales of £6.0 billion (C7.5 billion).
The deal also saw GSK divest its Oncology
portfolio to Novartis for US$16 billion (C14
billion) and acquire the Swiss company’s Vaccines business for US$5.25 billion, plus up to
US$1.8 billion in milestone payments.
Led by chief executive officer Emma Walmsley, GSK Consumer Healthcare now generates
around 90% of its sales from its seven global
power brands – Otrivin, Panadol, Parodontax,
Poligrip, Sensodyne, Theraflu and Voltaren –
and 12 core regional brands (see Figure 1).
The seven power brands are all leaders in
their respective categories, the company claims,
and are present in between 70 and 140 countries. They are also expected to deliver doubledigit growth rates.
The other 12 regional lines are known as
‘core brands’, and are primarily local in nature
and likely to be less “margin accretive”. Rolling
20
them out into new markets is not a priority, according to the company.
These local brands – while not a top investment priority – would play their role in growing the business, McNamara insisted, with the
company wanting to win in the local markets
where it played, aided by the innovation that
would come from its global power brands.
“One of our key global brands is Sensodyne.
It’s a brand that has grown by double-digits
for the past 10 years and has done an incredible job of holding the competition at bay,” he
explained. “We also have the global pain-relief
brand Voltaren, which has generated double-digit
growth every year over the past 10 years.”
“These two brands are the most global in
nature and are available in most markets around
the world,” he added. “With other categories,
such as cough and cold, where the regulatory
environment does not encourage globalisation,
we have to be much more pragmatic.”
Created successful global brands
“We have been successful in creating these
global brand models, especially in oral care and
pain relief,” McNamara claimed, “and the efficiencies are amazing if you have the model
right and you execute it consistently.”
“We also have a flexible business structure,
so if we come across an issue in a priority market where things aren’t working, we are pragmatic and fix it,” he stated. “In the end, we are
focused on winning in the marketplace and better meeting consumers’ and retailers’ needs.”
“It is not a case of global for global’s sake,”
he insisted. “If there is a local brand or carrier
that it makes sense to expand, we will bring in
an innovation from a global brand to do that.”
“If you look at Theraflu, it’s the numberone cough/cold product in Russia, with a great
presence in the US. And we have a great opportunity to take it into other markets in Europe,”
McNamara explained.
“Theraflu can be an innovation platform for
the Beechams cold-and-flu range in the UK,”
he added. “We can take the Theraflu equity and
leverage that through the Beechams brand.”
“We already launched Theraflu under the
Termalgin name in Spain a few years ago,” he
pointed out, “and it’s called NeoCitran in Canada and Switzerland.”
“So with brands like Theraflu and Excedrin,
Brian McNamara, region head of Europe and the
Americas at GSK Consumer Healthcare, said the firm
wanted to be the “partner of choice for switch”
which is the number-one migraine brand in the
world, we can expand their geographic reach by
using their innovation pipelines, the equity and
the toolkits of those brands to launch them under
established local names,” McNamara added.
Reviewing the markets for which he has
responsibility, McNamara said the US had enjoyed a “phenomenal” 2015.
“Proforma in the US, we reported 20%
growth driven by the Flonase switch, which
has been an unbelievable success,” he noted.
“Overall, the US is a really healthy business
with Excedrin gaining share and with the addition of Theraflu syrups.”
While Europe had been more challenging,
McNamara said that he believed the historic
capabilities of these two companies – GSK’s
“tremendous ability” in terms of getting expert
recommendations from dentists and doctors, and
Novartis’ pharmacy focus – were the foundations from which the enlarged business would
make strong gains the region.
“If we look at Germany, where we are the
number-one OTC company and the numberone oral-care player, we have the ability to leverage our capability in the vital pharmacy channel and get more recommendations,” he insisted.
However, McNamara admitted: “Central
and Eastern Europe (CEE), which includes
Russia, is probably the biggest challenge on
a macro-economic level.”
“In Russia, we have a strong position after
bringing the two companies together. I’m pretty
confident in our ability to grow in that country
this year in a tough and challenging environment,” he claimed. “My view is everyone is
competing in the same environment and some
will win and some will lose.”
Brazil was another priority market for the
company, McNamara said.
“Russia and Brazil are both emerging markets and we have different strategies for both,”
he noted. “What it takes to win in Russia will
OTC bulletin 22 April 2016
BUSINESS STRATEGY OTC
be different to how we will win in Brazil.”
“In Brazil, we have a really strong position
with a lot of opportunity,” McNamara explained, “especially with the Eno pain-relief brand,
which is a massive product growing at healthy
double-digits.”
“While both countries have macro-economic
and devaluation issues, we have the right portfolio to win in those countries, and that will
be our focus,” he said.
Asked whether organic growth would be
sufficient, McNamara said that while the existing
portfolio was the focus, GSK was always open
to bolt-on acquisitions “if they make sense”.
“We have priority markets and categories, and
to a degree there is an intersection between those
two. If there was an opportunity to make an acquisition, we would look at it,” he said.
“The focus is really on winning organically
with what we already have, and we have huge
opportunities within the portfolio,” McNamara
underlined. “We will look for acquisitions, but
we are not looking for anything big.”
Turning to the possibility of trimming the
enlarged portfolio, McNamara admitted that
there were still “some opportunities to simplify”,
but insisted that there was no major streamlining needed.
“We are very happy with what we have and
the growth opportunities the portfolio provides,”
he said. “In categories like denture care, there
are big gains to be made. While 20% of the
people in the world have dentures, only a fraction of them use denture-care products.”
“Furthermore, GSK Consumer Healthcare
just carried out a big pain-relief study globally
and found that 88% of adults experience pain
at least once a week,” he pointed out, “but only
50% treat the pain. With brands like Voltaren, we think the portfolio is set up for really
good growth.”
One area where GSK is looking for big opportunities is in prescription-to-OTC switches.
Fresh from the hugely successful US switch
of Flonase Allergy Relief (fluticasone propionate), which was rolled out a year ago (OTC
bulletin, 13 February 2015, page 1), McNamara
said that GSK had a firm ambition to be the
“partner of choice for switch”.
“We have proven to the world that we can
switch successfully,” McNamara insisted. “If
you look over the past 25 years, GSK has done
nine switches, so that is a switch every twoand-a-half to three years.”
Pointing out that GSK Consumer Healthcare’s chief executive officer Emma Walmsley
had set a target of a switch every five years
(OTC bulletin, 22 May 2015, page 1), McNamara said that prescription-to-OTC switches
would play a key role in growing the business
and that the company would seek out switch
22 April 2016 OTC bulletin
Figure 1: GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is now focused on seven power brands – Otrivine, Panadol,
Parodontax, Poligrip, Sensodyne, Theraflu and Voltaren/Voltarol – and 12 ‘core brands’ (Source – GSK)
opportunities both internally and externally.
“I can’t comment exactly on our strategy
in this area,” he said, “but personally I believe
we need to deliver one switch every five years
and with our scientific expertise I hope we can
do better than that.”
Looking at the regulatory challenges for
switches, McNamara explained that while in
the US there was a clear path, in other markets
there was an opportunity for industry to work
with regulators to make the switch process
“clearer and more streamlined”.
“There is still the appetite within the industry for innovative switches that create new categories,” McNamara said. “I hope over time
– as healthcare systems evolve and we see increasing cost burdens on governments – that
we can expand the switch landscape.”
“From an industry perspective, we fundamentally believe that there are more places we
can go,” he insisted.
Will look at new categories
“At GSK we are not opposed to switching
something in an entirely new category,” McNamara revealed. “We have a group evaluating
our overall switch agenda and strategy, and we
are open to going where the consumer is and
what makes sense.”
All of GSK’s ambitions, however, came
down to ensuring consumers trusted the company and its brands, McNamara said.
“If consumers trust our brands, we can educate them on the right things to do to maintain their health,” he claimed. “We use that
trust as a way of continuing to drive self-care,
as we fundamentally believe education is important for healthcare worldwide.”
“There is no question that consumers are
getting better educated thanks to the amount
of information that’s available,” he pointed out.
“Consumers have more information on a smartphone in their pocket than they had on a desk-
top computer 10 years ago.”
“Frankly, for me, better-educated consumers
are good,” McNamara said. “It’s good for the
industry, it’s good for healthcare systems and
it’s good for consumers.”
“As a company and an industry we have to
constantly evolve the ways in which we connect
with consumers,” he insisted, “in how we market to them and how we reach them in the retail environment and in a digital world.”
“Everything that is happening digitally can
have a huge impact on our industry, and so it
is a priority and a focus for us. We want to
make sure we deliver in that space,” McNamara stated, adding that it was important to
GSK to be close to consumers in the places
where they lived, online and offline.
“Understanding their behaviour, learning how
they interact with our products and discovering
the issues they are dealing with are critical for
us,” McNamara explained, “along with understanding how they shop for our products in store
and how they want to receive information.”
“Our strategy is to be the first choice among
experts, consumers and retailers,” McNamara
said, “and we have stated that we want to be
among the top-three consumer healthcare sales
forces in every country in the world, in both
pharmacy and mass-market.”
“It is a huge priority for us to be a great
partner to our retailers. It is about how we expand categories and how we mutually grow
our businesses,” he explained.
“Furthermore, we are also taking a hard,
strategic look at the e-commerce environment
right now to see exactly where we want to go
and how we want to do it,” added McNamara.
All these elements played into the vision laid
out when the joint venture was created, McNamara said. “In the end, what we want to do is
provide better healthcare solutions to consumers and for healthcare systems around the world.”
OTC
21
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PEOPLE OTC
Manufacturers
Industry Associations
ayer has appointed Paul Capelli, formerly
vice-president of corporate communications for shopping channel QVC, as vice-president of communications for the Consumer
Health division in the US.
Reporting to Raymond Kerins, Bayer’s
head of US communications, government relations and policy, Capelli will also be part of the
company’s US communications, government
relations and policy leadership team.
Commenting on the appointment, Kerins
said the company was “excited to have someone of Capelli’s experience and professionalism join the Bayer team”.
“Capelli knows this industry well and has
all the skills necessary to push Bayer’s reputation to even greater heights,” he added.
Having spent more than a decade in retail
communications, Capelli has worked across
various communications and public relations
roles for online retailer Amazon, television network CNBC and marketing agency Ketchum.
uneet Varma, president and general manager of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, has
been elected chairman of the World Self-Medication Industry (WSMI).
Varma will take over from Erica Mann, president of Bayer Consumer Health, in June. Mann
took on the role in June 2014 (OTC bulletin,
16 June 2014, page 23).
Commenting on his election, Varma said
that he looked forward to building on the legacy
left by Mann and promised that the association would continue to “realise the value of
self-care in strengthening the sustainability of
health care systems around the world”.
Dr Gerald Dziekan, the WSMI’s directorgeneral, said that the association would benefit
from Varma’s “passion, energy and unwavering
commitment to self care”.
These traits, Dziekan added, would be “critical in sustaining and accelerating the important
work we are doing to help people improve their
Bayer adds to
Pfizer’s Varma
communications
Mann
as
chair
B
S
to replace
of WSMI
Suneet Varma
health and wellness”.
Varma joined Pfizer in 2007 as president of
the company’s Consumer Healthcare business
in Canada. He was appointed regional president
for the Asia-Pacific and North America region
in 2010, before taking up his current role in
May 2015.
Prior to joining Pfizer, Varma held a number
of senior leadership roles at Wyeth Consumer
Healthcare, which was acquired by Pfizer in
2009 (OTC bulletin, 29 January 2009, page 1).
OTC
OTC
Manufacturers
Obituary
D
lan Hicks, a leading figure behind numerous innovative prescription-to-OTC switches
in a career that spanned 40 years, has passed
away aged 68.
Hicks was responsible for the first prescription-to-OTC switch in the UK in 1983, when
Obituary: Alan Hicks
DHU announces
managing director A
eutsche Homöopatie-Union (DHU) has
announced that Peter Braun has taken
over as managing director with responsibility
for marketing and sales.
The German homoeopathy specialist said
that Braun had replaced Patrick Krauth, who
had been in the role for three years.
An independent consultant before taking
the leadership role at DHU, Braun started his
career at Nestlé in 1990, before moving to the
Novartis eye-care subsidiary Ciba Vision.
From 1999 to 2004 he led the medical device company Sinus Point before becoming
a management consultant at Malik.
In March 2008, he took over responsibility
for DHU rival Weleda’s business in Switzerland, before becoming interim chief executive
officer of the whole Weleda group.
Following the appointment of Ralph Heinisch as chief executive officer, Braun led Weleda’s pharmaceutical business until August
2012, before leaving to become an independent consultant.
OTC
22 April 2016 OTC bulletin
Alan Hicks
Imodium was made available without a prescription. He would go on to play a key role in
other switches, including Daktacort, Daktarin
and Ovex. As a consultant, Hicks also guided
the switch of the Levonelle morning-after pill.
Having entered the OTC industry in 1977,
he set up Janssen’s OTC division in 1984, which
subsequently became part of Johnson & Johnson’s Consumer business.
A major advocate of pharmacy staff education, Hicks felt it was vital for all pharmacy
staff be able to share health advice with consumers. He created the Glaxo PharmAssist education programme for pharmacy staff and the
Professional Learning Programme for the Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB).
OTC
IN BRIEF
■ UPSA – the European OTC business of Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) based in France – has
appointed Fabrice Dal-Mas as managing director. Dal-Mas has worked at BMS for 18 years,
becoming director of operations and operational
excellence in 2015.
■ NZSMI – the New Zealand Self-Medication Industry – has named Scott Milne as its
executive director effective from 1 May 2016.
Milne will replace Tim Roper who is retiring
from the role after an eight-year tenure.
OTC
23
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