Digestive

NEW YORK — ClearVia, a probiotic that naturally supports the body's ability to metabolize alcohol, launched nationwide on Wednesday.  A proprietary probiotic blend, ClearVia helps the body's natural ability to break down alcohol while sleeping so after a night of enjoying a few drinks busy professionals can wake up clear and ready to take on their day, the company stated.  

There is no question that one of the top nonprescription categories contributing to both sales and foot traffic right now is allergy. According to IRI data, sales of nasal sprays — the category that captures all of the latest nasal corticosteroid Rx-to-OTC switches, such as Flonase and Nasacort — are up 10.2% to $1.2 billion across total U.S. multi-outlets for the 52 weeks ended Feb. 19.

WHIPPANY, N.J.— Bayer last week announced its decision to reformulate certain Alka-Seltzer effervescent products to remove the pain reliever, and related indications, in order to focus exclusively on occasional heartburn and upset stomach relief. 

"The reformulation is based on the consumer trend moving toward single indication products [treating] upset stomach and heartburn," Andre Schmidt, U.S. medical affairs VP for Bayer Consumer Health, told Drug Store News, and not over any concerns of safety, he added.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — IM HealthScience on Monday announced favorable results from its Functional Dyspepsia Safety Update at 6 months (FDSU-6), a real-world, post-marketing surveillance study reporting on the safety and tolerability profile of FDgard among the more than 182,000 patients who used the product. The results found no serious adverse events.

Additionally, the rates and patterns of non-serious adverse events were low (0.02%) and generally consistent with those normal adverse events commonly associated with an FD population.

OTTAWA — A new Conference Board of Canada report estimates that switching three prescription drug classes to over-the-counter status could represent a cost savings of more than $770 million annually (in U.S. currency). Those classes include proton-pump inhibitors, oral contraceptives and erectile dysfunction remedies.

The graying of the baby boomers, an increased focus on supplementing healthier lifestyles and the steady stream of nasal corticosteroid brands making their way from prescription-only to the more value-oriented OTC aisle were just three significant drivers behind the growth of over-the-counter medicines in 2016.

(To view the full Category Review, click here.)