HEALTH

Non-toxic kit treats and kills head lice
ALBANY, Ore. — At this year’s NACDS Total Store Expo, Tec Laboratories is introducing a new Licefreee Kit that includes a gel, a patented nit comb and a maintenance shampoo that will retail for a suggested $24.99. “Parents like the idea of having something to use after they’ve treated for lice,” noted Larry Burris, national sales manager at Tec Laboratories.

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Flonase continues market strength
GSK Consumer Healthcare’s Flonase allergy remedy was the single greatest generator of incremental dollars for the 52 weeks ended May 15 across total U.S. multi-outlets, according to IRI data, with $345.2 million in sales on 209.9% growth. The question headed into its second year on OTC shelves is can it maintain its momentum now that private-label competition for Flonase has reached store shelves.

Mass market still most shopped channel

More vitamins, minerals and supplements were sold online so far in 2016 than have been sold through a Walmart store, TABS Analytics reported earlier this year. According to the TABS Analytics analysis, $2 billion in VMS products were sold online vs. $1.7 billion at Walmart, $1.3 billion at Costco and $1.2 billion at CVS Pharmacy.
Dry eye drives sales growth

Sales across the overall eye care and contact lens care categories generated $1.8 billion across total U.S. multi-outlets for the period ended May 15, representing growth of 2.4%. And dry eye continues to be a significant driver behind that growth, whether those dry eyes are caused by looking at a computer screen or smartphone all day or if there’s an underlying medical condition.
Meda shareholders accept Mylan purchase offer

PITTSBURGH — Mylan on Tuesday announced that its offer to acquire Meda Aktiebolag for about $9.9 billion, has been accepted by 94% of Meda’s shareholders, collectively possessing 342,578,694 shares.

Mylan will go through with the deal, which it expects to close on or around Aug. 5, at which time Meda will become a controlled subsidiary of Mylan. The offer was initially announced on Feb. 10.
Health-tracking devices gain traction

There’s no question that wearables are a health-tracking trend that will continue to gain traction. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ “Top health industry issues of 2016,” the more acclimated consumers get to their smartphones, the more they’re going to be looking to devices that will keep them on track toward better health.
IBM Watson Health to drive patient-centered care

The one common denominator that will bring into focus all future visions on what retail pharmacy will look like 10 years from now is secure connectivity and big data. Successfully managing health at scale will be predicated on efficient population management algorithms that enable caregivers to successfully intercept patients before a health event occurs.
More flexibility with new Depend Fit-Flex

DALLAS — Kimberly-Clark in April introduced the improved Depend Fit-Flex Underwear, which is now more flexible to move with one’s body, the company stated. And the Depend brand also introduced new Depend Night Defense Underwear for Women — an overnight absorbency brief specifically designed for nighttime use that features more absorbent material and more coverage for lightweight, heavy protection.

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Generations key factor in OTC buying behaviors

Earlier this year, WebMD surveyed 30,000 WebMD users to ascertain the OTC buying behaviors and preferences of three critical consumer segments — seniors, today’s moms (Gen X) and millennials.
Sales of parasite treatments on the rise

Each year, as many as 12 million sets of parents come home to find their children frantically scratching their heads due to a head lice infestation. And that incidence appears to be on the rise, as sales of parasite treatments were up 7.3% to $163.7 million for the 52 weeks ended May 15 across total U.S. multi-outlets, according to IRI data.