Innovative OTC products abound

Drug Store News,  August 24, 1998  by Rob Eder

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Although natural care vendors established a rather dominant presence on the show floor of the Philadelphia Convention Center's Exhibit Hall C (see the Aug. 3 issue, p. 19), NACDS Marketplace offered a few more surprises beyond the world of vitamins and supplements. There were other OTC categories to consider-and things were far from quiet along these fronts.

Redrawing the sports medicine box Indeed, the profitability of the natural care segments seems to have torn the cover off the cognitive box from which OTC buyers and category managers have traditionally made purchasing decisions. The proof is in the appearance of other alternative therapies that are starting to penetrate chain pharmacy's front end. There can be no denying the strong attraction many buyers felt toward the makers of magnet therapy products. At least two buyers with whom Drug Store News spoke at Marketplace indicated they were mentally figuring magnets into their sports medicine sets. The only question was, which company's magnets? The fact that so many companies, including established healthcare players, were showing an item that still must be considered a niche product at best, should give further indication of what the industry thinks of magnetic therapy. Several came to Marketplace to lift the veil on new magnet lines. Becton-Dickinson, which markets the ACE line of support bandages and braces, has added a magnetic therapy line under its recently acquired Tru-Fit label. The Tru-Fit MagnetiX line features several items, allowing retailers to pick and choose the depth of selection they offer customers. MagnetiX point-of-injury neoprene blend magnetic wrap products are designed for the wrist, elbow, ankle, knee and back. A premium kit offers three wraps, allowing the user to treat nearly every trouble area. However, the single-use magnetic support braces provide a more custom fit, such as an open-patella knee design. In addition, the company is offering a flexible, self-adhering magnet for use without the neoprene wraps. A multi-purpose kit pairs three spandex wraps with the self-adhering magnets. Theoretically, magnetic therapy operates from the same principle as electrical stimulation. The idea is that the electromagnetic field delivers energy to the site of pain, stimulating blood circulation to lessen inflammation. Still, not all magnets are created equal, argued Mike Matthews, vice president of sales and marketing for HoMedics, which introduced its Magnetic Wave TheraP line at Marketplace. "The key to magnetic therapy is the 'three p's," Matthews explained. "Power, placement and polarity." The company derives the Magnetic Wave name from its patented, alternating wave-form bipolar magnet design. HoMedics insists the design allows deeper penetration for its magnets, which it also contends are the strongest available, registering 800 to 1,000 on the gause meter (which measures electromagnetivity). The Magnetic Wave TheraP line includes the 10-piece Total Body Therapy Kit and individual Magnetic Wave wraps for the ankle, knee, elbow, back, neck and wrist, as well as Magna Dot spot therapy bandages (small magnets held in place by disposable, button-sized adhesive bandages) and Magna Sole insoles. Marketplace newcomer Pro Band Sports Industries came from Santa Barbara, Calif., to show chain drug buyers its XM line of magnetic support devices. Kneed-It XM utilizes a sub-patellar band design, which gently applies pressure to medial and lateral soft tissue to relieve knee pain caused by tendinitis, arthritis and chondromalacia. Similarly, Band-It XM is designed for forearm use just below the elbow to provide relief from pain associated with tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive stress injuries. Magnets were not the only alternative therapy items that tapped into the mysterious healing powers of metal. However, while several manufacturers went after the magnet market, only one vendor at Marketplace offered home retail pharmacy metal healing bracelets. While Native American folklore boasts the recuperative powers of copper bracelets in remedying joint pain, and several companies manufacture "magic metal bracelets," Bio-Ray's Q-Ray Bracelet bases its healing ability on the principles of Chinese acupuncture. The Q-Ray combines several surgical metals into an ionized bracelet designed to regulate bio-energy, or balance one's yin (negative ions) with one's yang (positive ions). In less esoteric terms, the Q-Ray is purported to reduce pain commonly associated with backache, sore feet, arthritis and muscle stiffness. Other strategies for wellness One company that is no stranger to helping consumers manage pain is The Hygenic Corp., which chose Marketplace as a springboard for bringing its Thera-Band line of exercise products from the offices of physical therapists to the shelves of retail. For the past two decades Thera-Band has been a staple of trainers and therapists for the purpose of strengthening, conditioning and rehabilitating bones, joints and muscles. The line includes Thera-Band exercise bands in a range of resistance levels, as well as inflatable exercise balls, mats, hand exercisers, upper and lower body exercise systems and sport-specific training systems (i.e., golf, baseball or soccer), among other items. Thera-Band is endorsed by the American Physical Therapy Association. Likewise, Mueller, which is by no means new to retail pharmacy, is hoping to grow the sports medicine category enough to make room for fitness products, such as Thera-Band. But, first, the Wisconsin-based company will seek to find a home in chain pharmacy for its own Lifeline Shape Aerobic system, which uses elasticized bands to provide strength training resistance. But, why market fitness equipment in drug chains? According to Mueller's data, "middle-aged women aren't shopping sporting goods stores," said Herb Raschka, vice president of consumer health products. Still, to allow retailers to find their own way profitably in what would be a new segment of sports medicine for chain pharmacy, Mueller suggests buyers start slowly with the set. Although the complete line features several exercise items in a range of resistance levels, the company recommends drug chains to start off with two SKUs: a light resistance ring and a medium resistance figure eight. More traditional wares Of course, while the focus was largely on natural care and alternative remedies, several companies came to show more conventional OTC launches. One company, which by no means could be considered a conventional OTC manufacturer, is CNS, which created a whole new category at retail while turning several others on their ears (or noses). Indeed, Breathe Right strips made a serious impact on the cough/cold category, as well as allergy and sinus, while almost single-handedly giving birth to the anti-snoring category. This year, the company has targeted more or less the same categories with its first two non-nasal strip line extensions. The Breathe Right Allergen Barrier Pillow Cover is constructed of a breathable, hypoallergenic fabric, which provides a one-way screen that allows air, but not dust mites, to pass through. At a suggested retail price of $5.99 per cover, each will be initially packaged with a $1 bounceback coupon for Breathe Right nasal strips, as well as two sample strips to bring still more new users to the brand. Sizing up the potential market for the allergen barrier, the company dusted off some pretty compelling figures for chain buyers. According to CNS, nearly 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, many of which are caused by dust mites. Dust mites love the typically humid environment of a pillow's innards and feed off the dead skin shed during sleep. The average one-year-old pillow contains more than 250,000 dust mites, the company insisted. With the introduction of Breathe Right Saline Nasal Spray, the company is seeking to bring a bigger brand to a segment it claims lacks marketing support and/or a dominant brand. "Breathe Right nasal strips are a recognized item with approximately 80 percent of the U.S. population," noted CNS vice president of marketing Kirk Hodgdon. "In fact, annual household penetration of Breathe Right nasal strips is more than seven times larger than the current penetration of the No. 1 saline nasal spray brand." The company will offer 1/2-ounce trial sizes in packs of Breathe Right strips, and will try to capture the other 20 percent of consumers unfamiliar with Breathe Right by offering 55-cent coupons for strips and samples in each package of saline spray. Both new CNS nasal products are scheduled to hit retail shelves by September. Meanwhile, as CNS goes after the nasal spray market, OTC giant Schering-Plough, maker of Afrin, unveiled its first nasal strip and the first direct competition to the CNS brand. Schering-Plough should get out of the gates fairly quickly; the company measures brand recognition for its Afrin label at some 89 percent among nasal spray users. Afrin ClearPassage nasal strips come in two gender-specific sizes for a more custom fit, and feature a "centering arc" design to ensure proper strip placement. The company offers two sizes to capture two different user groups. As the average cold lasts roughly one week, the six-count package focuses on the cough-cold sufferer; the 24-count is intended for snorers and chronic allergy sufferers. Schering-Plough also came to Marketplace to show its new line of A + D Personal Care products, designed to eliminate odors and relieve skin irritation commonly associated with female bladder leakage. Rather than masking odors, the new A + D line of cleansing towelettes and dry lotion personal care products chemically neutralizes offensive odors. Towelettes are designed for use in emergency situations. The dry lotion is meant to be used to prevent odors before leakage can occur. While CNS and Schering-Plough battle for the nasal congestion business, J.B. Williams will focus on the sore throat side of the cough-cold business, with a special emphasis on oral pain management. For instance, where Cepacol's label once indicated use for relief of a dry throat, the new indication is for "fast, soothing relief of minor sore throat pain," said Bob Sheasby, vice president of marketing. But, it wasn't as simple as just slapping on new labels. The new Cepacol claims would require a stronger new formulation. Whereas Cepacol once barely contained enough menthol to warrant monograph status, a new maximum-strength formula adds benzocaine for heightened anesthetic benefits. Line extensions this year include sugar-free lozenges, a Children's Strength Sore Throat formula designed to attack several common cold/flu symptoms, Cepacol Cold Care Z zinc acetate lozenges, Maximum Strength lozenges and spray, and Viractin V cream and gel for the treatment of cold sores and fever blisters. In addition, the company has committed several million dollars in advertising in support of the restaged Cepacol line during the third and fourth quarters of the year, the height of the cold/flu season. Spenco came to Marketplace with the intention of redefining wound care technology. Spenco's new 2nd Skin Advanced First Aid System is more sophisticated than the average adhesive bandage, claimed Mark Connors, vice president of sales and marketing. "We are creating a whole new category of 'active' moist wound care, in which case our only competitors at this time are the 'passive' dry adhesive bandages," Connors said. Basically, the company is trying to change an old familiar first aid paradigm; namely, that wounds heal fastest when kept dry--a misconception the company will look to end by spending major money on a multimedia ad campaign in support of the 2nd Skin launch. The six new products include 2nd Skin Intelligent Film, Athletic Strips, Cut Control Dressings and Bandages, Smart Wound Protection Dressing, Blister Pads and Foam Blister Pads. Each is designed to provide a different healing environment depending on wound type. For instance, alginate dressings are designed to stop minor bleeding from cuts that are difficult to close, such as razor cuts, while hydrocolloids help absorb and evaporate wound exudate from open blisters. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson, the perennial first aid category leader, showed its first forays into the foot care category at Market-place, with its new line of devices under the Band-Aid label. The five-product line-which has been a topic of conversation among drug retailers for the past several months, since word first leaked out that J&J would be launching into a category dominated by Schering Plough's Dr. Scholl's brand-includes small and medium Blister Relief adhesive pads, Callus Relief pads, Corn Relief pads and Heel Crack Relief pads. Predictably, Dr. Fabricant's newest entry targets relief from the agony of "de feet." However, the Long Island-based company refuses to call its new SportsAir Insole a common replacement insole, maintaining that the product, which lifts and holds the arch to relieve tired, sore feet, functions more as a true orthotic. In addition, the SportsAir's AirHeel insert provides key cushioning at a critical point of impact, and can be removed for added relief from heel spur pain. MicroGuard fabric protects against odorcausing bacteria, keeping feet dry and comfortable, the company said. One company that knows a few things about eliminating foot odor is Chattem. Fresh off the release of its Gold Bond Foot Powder extension, the company has unveiled its Gold Bond Medicated Body Lotion. All current Gold Bond offerings will feature sample size tubes of the new Body Lotion. Finally, Dr. Jeffrey Gilbard showed chain drug buyers something in the way of firm resolve, as well as product innovation. Dr. Gilbard, president and chief executive of Advanced Vision Research, not only developed the first patented treatment for chronic dry eyes, but the Harvard medical school professor also took TheraTears from the drawing board to the research lab to the shelves of retail via the trunk of his car. Although Dr. Gilbard had converted the process of rehydrating tear ducts to practice by 1984, what began for him as a research project in 1976 while studying at Columbia Medical School finally became a product reality in 1994. Still, it is only recently that the product has made it to retail, as initial distribution of TheraTears was coordinated through Dr. Gilbard himself, who began with a waiting list of 1,000 of his own patients he knew were interested. Of course, by the time Dr. Gilbard got to Marketplace, his TheraTears were no longer the only available OTC remedy on the market for the relief of dry eyes. Just days prior to Marketplace, Alcon Laboratories introduced Tears Naturale Collagen and Punctal Plugs. According to Alcon, by 2008, 77 million aging baby boomers will begin to develop signs and symptoms of dry eye syndrome, and already some 59 million Americans presently suffer from the condition.

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