Cough-cold

Drug Store News,  May 20, 2002  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

Although several retailers cited a fourth-quarter slowdown on the prescription side of the flu category in their quarterly reports, the cough-cold side of the business experienced a slight lift in 2001. Couple this with a strong uptake in the second half of last year's cough-cold season and you have a nice growth curve for calendar year 2001. Last year's anthrax scare certainly encouraged more people to get their flu shots, and this consequently impacted the cough-cold category. With major flu symptoms abated by inoculation, consumers treated more minor illness with basic OTC cough-cold items.

Cough-cold sales may have trended even higher if it weren't for several other compounding factors. The recession may have reduced the frequency of cough-cold purchases as might have an unseasonably warm and dry winter.

Looking forward, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare will be making a move toward the children's cough-cold business with its Advil brand. On the homeopathic side of the business, Quigley will be slicing in a honey lozenge SKU while Hyland's is introducing an allergy remedy.

Top 10 brands in drug

Brand/segment                $ sales (*)  % change

Benedryl--tablets              $56.5          7.9%
Halls--cough drops              42.7           8.6
Vicks Nyquil--liquid/powder     40.7          12.5
Robitussin DM--cough syrup      38.1          -0.1
Theraflu--tablets               27.4          -1.9
Afrin--nasal spray              25.2          -0.2
Tylenol Cold--tablets           24.4           2.5
Sudafed--tablets                24.4          -1.1
Tylenol Sinus--tablets          22.6          -2.2
Alka Seltzer--tablets           21.6         -28.2

(*)Sales in millions
Top 10 gainers in drug

Brand/segment                $ (*)    %     $ (*)
                             sales  change  change

Motrin--liquid/powder         $8.7  316.7%  $6.6
Aleve Cold & Sinus--tablets   10.9  142.3    6.4
Zican Nasal Spray             12.6   58.1    4.6
Vicks Nyquil--liquid/powder   40.7   12.5    4.5
Benedryl--tablets             56.5    7.9    4.1
Robitussin--liquid/powder      9.7   72.1    4.1
Delsym Cough Syrup            15.3   33.4    3.8
Halls--cough drops            42.7    8.6    3.4
Triaminic--liquid/powder      16.7   23.9    3.2
Chior Trimeton--tablets       17.9   18.3    2.8

Source: Information Resources Inc, for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 30, 2001

(*)Sales in millions
Cough-cold scorecard

                                  Total F/D/M (*)    Drug stores
Category/segment                 $         % chg.         $
                             sales (**)  vs. yr. ago  sales (**)

Cold/allergy/sinus--tablets    $1,290.6      1.2%         $605.4
Cold/allergy/sinus--liquids       606.4      6.2           279.8
Nasal products                    381.2      3.5           213.6
Cough drops                       357.6     -0.2           176.1
Cough syrup                       283.1      4.1           158.3
Chest rubs                         54.4     10.8            27.0

                             Drug stores       Drug chains only
Category/segment               % chg.         $         % chg.
                             vs. yr. ago  sales (**)  vs. yr. ago

Cold/allergy/sinus--tablets      2.3$         $474.1      4.2%
Cold/allergy/sinus--liquids      6.2           224.5      8.8
Nasal products                   4.0           162.0      5.5
Cough drops                      1.3           138.0      2.0
Cough syrup                      3.0           118.3      3.3
Chest rubs                      12.6            21.2     15.9

Source: Information Resources Inc. for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 30

(*) Total F/D/M excludes Wat-Mart

(**) Sales in millions

COPYRIGHT 2002 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning