HEALTH

NEW YORK — HungerShield on Friday announced the launch of its appetite control product of the same name. The appetite suppressant is formulated with a blend of fiber, protein and probiotics and is designed to be mixed with 12-16 oz. of water to create a lemon-lime flavored drink that can be consumed on-the-go.

MIAMI — Scimera BioScience on Thursday announced the launch of a novel probiotic formulation, Asprega ProPac, to address the gastrointestinal side effects of antibiotic therapy including antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Unique to ProPac, Scimera packages its probiotic in a convenient 10-day course.

Omnichannel. It's one of the hottest topics in retail. It's seamless retailing in real-time. It's making sure that the brand experience coming out of a retailer is exemplary no matter how a consumer chooses to engage — on the e-commerce site, through an app for the tablet or smartphone, within the brick-and-mortar location or any two of those venues simultaneously.

Homeopathy is hopping. Sales of many of the homeopathy brands represent some of the fastest-growing products across the OTC landscape these days, as evidenced by the number of brands escalating on the top 10 lists across several categories. Overall, sales of homeopathic medicines totaled $1.3 billion for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 22, up 8% according to SPINS, which tracks sales across both the natural channel (excluding Whole Foods) and mass retailers.

Originating from Australia, Swisse Wellness recently made a splash into the U.S. market with brand ambassador Nicole Kidman leading the way. DSN didn't land an interview with Kidman, who was up for two Golden Globes last month, so we got in touch with her Swisse Wellness boss Radek Sali — CEO of the company and 2012 GQ Australia businessman of the year — for some insights into the company's approach to the U.S. launch.

DSN: What's the opportunity for supplements in the U.S. market?

Sore throats and dry coughs are more prevalent symptoms associated with the flu. With the severe 2012-2013 flu season to date, that means a healthy amount of lozenge sales. One of the bigger winners across the top 10 vendors is Reckitt Benckiser, which launched Cepacol Sensations this fall. The product line contains a lower amount of numbing medication than traditional Cepacol products, yet still provides either an instantly cooling, warming or refreshing sensation. Sales of all Reckitt Benckiser lozenges totaled $10.9 million, up 67.6%.

“The only real valuable thing is intuition,” said Albert Einstein. Within the consumer healthcare industry, nowhere is that more true than in the realm of brand management.

Ironically, Einstein also said “if we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?”

ATLANTA — The proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness was 2.8% for the week ended Feb. 16, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday, a strong indicator that the 2012-2013 flu season is on its way out. Nevada, New Jersey and Vermont were still reporting high ILI activity; while 13 states and New York City reported moderate activity; 11 states reported low activity; and 23 states reported minimal activity.