HEALTH

Age, smartphone usage awaken sales
Overall, the sale of all sleep remedies were up 6.1% to $707.9 million across total U.S. multi-outlets for the 52 weeks ended Nov. 27, 2016, according to IRI. Procter & Gamble’s ZzzQuil still leads the category. Sales of the liquid formulation are outpacing category growth with an uptick of 8.4% to $85.3 million, or 12% of total category sales.

(To view the full Cough-Cold Report, click here.)
Owen Mumford to debut insulin injection guide
Owen Mumford is releasing an insulin injection guide to better assist healthcare professionals in educating patients on healthy injection routines. Called “Injecting with Insulin: A Guide to Good Injection Technique,” the guide will be offered in both digital and print formats as early as this month.

(To view the full Home Health Care Report, click here.)

Strong OTC growth bolsters Prestige Brands performance

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Shares of Prestige Brands rose 6.6% in Thursday afternoon trading at $56.49 per share, driven by strong third-quarter earnings and solid performance from the company's OTC business.
RB in talks to acquire Mead Johnson

SLOUGH, England — RB on Thursday confirmed the group is in talks involving the acquisiton of the Mead Johnson Nutrition Company for $90 in cash, valuing Mead Johnson's entire share capital at approximately $16.7 billion.

The parties are presently engaged in a period of due diligence and contract discussion and both companies noted that there is no certainty that any transaction will ultimately be agreed, nor as to the terms on which any transaction might occur.
GMDC Academy helps new product launches become 'retail ready'
New contenders, category heavyweights battle for top spot in cough-cold

Last year, Drug Store News projected that GSK Consumer Healthcare’s Flonase allergy franchise would be challenged with the introduction of two new nasal corticosteroids to the market — McNeil Consumer’s Rhinocort and Bayer’s ClariSpray.

(To view the full Cough-Cold Report, click here.)
Diabetes diagnoses spiking worldwide

Diabetes has become a worldwide epidemic. According to data recently published by the Brussels-based International Diabetes Federation, by 2040 more than 642 million people worldwide will suffer from diabetes, up from 415 million in 2015, the last year for which the organization has statistics. In North America, this figure is expected to jump from the current 30 million cases to around 41 million.

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

MODERATOR’S NOTE: It should come as no surprise that 7-in-10 deaths in the United States today are caused by, or related to, a chronic condition. At least 45% of our current population suffers from a chronic condition. By 2025, 164 million Americans — nearly half of the population — will have at least one chronic condition.
i-Health bolsters probiotic lineup with UP4 acquisition

CROMWELL, Conn. — i-Health, a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal DSM, announced Tuesday that it has entered into an agreement to purchase the UP4 Probiotic brand from UAS Laboratories. UP4 is a successful specialty channel brand that features a full line of probiotic products.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Sanofi innovating allergy aisle with switch of oral antihistamine Xyzal

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Sanofi announced Wednesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Xyzal Allergy 24HR as an over-the-counter treatment for the relief of symptoms associated with seasonal and year-round allergies. Specifically, two formulations of Xyzal are now approved for OTC use – 5 mg tablets for ages 6 years and older, as well as 0.5 mg/mL oral solution for ages 2 years and older.