HEALTH

NEW YORK  — Clif Bar on Tuesday announced its first-ever “Join the Ride” program, which invites consumers to describe how a new bicycle will help them live better. The program will focus on personal health and fitness, community involvement and green living. Individuals with the 50 most compelling entries will receive a Raleigh Route 3.0 bicycle and a Giro Reverb helmet.

NEW YORK — One of the first lessons in life that children learn is that getting sick isn’t fun, and going to the pharmacy isn’t too exciting either. In 2004, pharmacist Charles Tabouchirani decided to change that by opening Cherry’s Pharmacy, a store that specializes in dealing with children.

For niche brands, getting a foot in the door of mass market retail is no easy feat, and the stakes remain high as retailers have, in recent years, trimmed SKU counts and grown increasingly risk-adverse.

Appropriately promoting niche brands within the intimacy health space can be a little trickier than the average consumer packaged goods product. And social media isn’t necessarily the ideal platform — an adult may not be as comfortable “liking” an intimacy enhancement product on Facebook to show their brand affinity, for example. 


MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Earlier this year, Prestige Brands closed the deal on its acquisition of the analgesic Goody’s Powder. And while Goody’s may be characterized as a legacy brand, it is in no way a tired brand — for the 52 weeks ended April 15, sales of Goody’s Powder were up 1.2% to $15.8 million. That’s only the starting line for what will be a new brand race across the analgesics aisle.


SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday identified three online products touting "natural" intimacy enhancement that consumers should avoid because they each contain undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients.

The three products include Boost ultra sexual enhancement formula, VMaxx Rx and Firminite.

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Amneal Pharmaceuticals is adding blackberry flavoring to a generic diabetes drug following feedback from customers, the company said Wednesday.

Amneal announced the changes to its metformin hydrochloride immediate-release tablets in the 500-mg, 850-mg and 1,000-mg strengths, designed to cover up the smell of metformin.

In contrast to the most recent cough-cold season, which was characterized by a relative lack of upper respiratory illnesses, pharmacy shoppers with itchy eyes, runny noses and audible sneezes have been back in force this spring in search of allergy relief. And those patients are gravitating toward the OTC aisle for their seasonal allergy needs now that the last of the second-generation antihistamines was made available without a prescription a year ago.