Innovation & IP

Children with ADHD often struggle with bedtime due to restless minds, difficulty winding down, and heightened sensitivity to nighttime distractions. This article explores the reasons behind these sleep challenges and offers practical solutions.

Laifen, Opalescence Moon, Lewie and quip are among US companies with recent launches to boost their oral care market shares. Recent launch by Arm & Hammer global oral care brand also targets driving growth in the category.

Perrigo aims its new SolpaOne high-strength paracetamol effervescent at UK pharmacists, who now have expanded powers as part of the UK government's Pharmacy First initiative. 

Plastics – specifically the reduction of virgin plastic in packaging and the move to recyclable or refillable packaging – is one of nine priority topics Kenvue is focused on as part of its global sustainability strategy, according to the company’s global head of packaging innovation, sustainability and experience, David Lickstein.

As it considers what route to take to independence, Sanofi's Consumer Healthcare business – recently rebranded as Opella – has been changing its approach to marketing, according to chief growth officer Alberto Hernandez. In this exclusive interview, Hernandez explains how “Crazy Elevating Creativity” is delivering real results for Sanofi's top OTC brands. 

Germany's Expert Committee on Prescription recommends the Rx-to-OTC switch of an azelastine and fluticasone propionate combination nasal spray, the second time around. Low-cost smoking cessation drug cytisine, on the other hand, is denied - also the second time it has appeared before the committee.  

Plant-based digestive health remedy Iberogast, alongside Bepanthen Derma and Supradyn dietary supplements, are the brands currently driving sales growth at Bayer Consumer Health, according to the firm's Q2 financial report.

Church & Dwight’s slower sales at retail in June-July than in January-May point to still slower results for rest of year. It doesn’t expect second-half help from gummy vitamin lines or give them a full vote of confidence for remaining in portfolio.

Don't miss out on a chance to win an OTC Marketing Award. The entry deadline is fast approaching ahead of the presentation ceremony in London later this year.

Haleon has begun reformulating phenylephrine-containing oral decongestants marketed in the US as the company looks to get ahead of an anticipated FDA decision on the ingredient's use in OTC cough and cold products. The UK-based consumer health manufacturer revealed its plan as it reported organic sales up 3.5% in the first half of 2024.

Consumers increasingly demand more from health and wellness brands, particularly valuing those that connect wellness with the home environment, PA Consulting's Rhea Patten explains, in this episode of HBW Insight’s Over the Counter podcast. Consumer health companies also now have a responsibility to contribute to global wellbeing, which can in turn enhance brand impact and drive business growth.

Responding to demand from women for consumer health products that meet their specific needs, P&G and Pro Medico both launch hop-based supplements for menopause symptoms. Meanwhile, Bayer adds a hair mask to its Priorin range for women with female pattern hair loss and Klosterfrau expands its Femafriends brand with an intimate health gel.

Reckitt is investing over $40m to build a dedicated Chinese R&D center of excellence in Shanghai as it looks to capitalize on the double-digit sales growth it has recorded in the world's most populous market over recent years.

Aspirin is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. To find out what brand owner Bayer Consumer Health is doing to celebrate this occasion, and what it is doing to take the brand into the next 125 years, HBW Insight chats with the company’s senior vice president, Global Head Allergy, Cough/Cold, Pain and Heart Health, Reese Fitzpatrick, and head of R&D, North America and Therapeutics, Rachel Koontz.

Andrew Trister, Verily’s chief medical and scientific officer, discusses Verily’s newly launched Lightpath Metabolic solution, featuring GLP-1 prescription, AI and strengthened clinical support. Plus, the Google health tech spinout's plans for the Study Watch, the Alzheimer’s research landscape, and AI development and regulation in a new era of uncertainty.

UK medical devices manufacturer Owen Mumford moves into consumer health with umbrella brand Clariti and OTC relaunch of at-home vaginismus and dyspareunia treatment Amielle Comfort.

Real-world data and evidence, for example generated by digital consumer health technology like apps and wearables, could provide crucial support for Rx-to-OTC switch applications, argues Sanofi Consumer Healthcare’s Penny Glover at the Association of the European Self-Care Industry's 60th Annual Meeting in Brussels, Belgium. Recent research by Sanofi indicates that regulators are actually already using RWD and RWE in many cases when assessing switch applications, even if they do not call it that. 

Industry can look forward to a global OTC market compound annual growth rate of around 7% over the next few years, according to IQVIA Consumer Health. Innovation will be key to ensure individual companies realize this level of growth. IQVIA CH's Amit Shukla and Simon-Kucher & Partners' Clemens Oberhammer point to some key consumer trends to keep an eye on at the recent AESGP Annual Meeting in Brussels. 

Failing to take sufficient action on climate change could be a costly business for consumer health companies. However, the good news from the AESGP's 60th Annual Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, is that at least half of the cost of decarbonizing will be balanced by savings, according to Boston Consulting Group. And climate change adaption will present firms with a wide variety of opportunities for product innovation, IQVIA Consumer Health's Volker Spitzer tells delegates.

The Association of the European Self-Care Industry's 60th Annual Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, opens with a rousing call to action from president Jonathan Workman. Looking to the upcoming EU elections, Workman urges industry to push for widening access to OTC medicines through switch, digital and sustainable investment, improved health literacy and regulatory flexibility.