In this Issue

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.. — Mentholatum earlier this year identified a new purchase opportunity in eye care — summer eyes. The company introduced its Rohto Ice All-in-One Cooling Eye Drops to provide fast, cooling relief for eight symptoms — red, dry, itchy, irritated, burning, gritty, watery and stinging eyes. And unlike ordinary eye drops, it contains Rohto’s proprietary Freshkick technology, a freshness formula that relieves irritation and soothes and comforts eyes for up to eight hours.

Let’s just say I wasn’t exactly expecting to have my mind completely blown. Cardinal Health RBC 2016 had been a terrific show, but if we’re being completely honest here, the keynote speaker for the closing business session — some long-haired street artist I had never heard of, wearing black Converse and speed-painting to loud music at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning — had me scratching my head a little.

Did I really need to see that?

It turns out, I really did.

Millennials might not care about fighting wrinkles, but they know the importance of totally cleaning off their makeup. “One of the things I learned from my sisters was to totally remove makeup,” Kylie Jenner told a reporter recently.

Wearables are beginning to gain purchase consideration and traction among all millennials, but especially with white non-Hispanics, according to the latest installment of the Hispanic Millennial Project, published by Sensis and ThinkNow Research in June.

As interest in telehealth options increases, so too does the diversification of the services offered through telehealth providers. Both patients and telehealth companies are looking at behavioral health as the next frontier in remote care. In its look at the biggest health industry issues of 2016, PricewaterhouseCooper’s Health Research Institute found that 72% of 18- to 44-year-olds and 43% of those older than 45 years would be willing to use telehealth services to consult with a mental health provider instead of an in-person visit.

While Americans are redefining what it means to age well and stay healthy, many adults 50 years and over are still feeling the effects of aging. AARP earlier this year surveyed 1,480 Americans ages 50 years and older, and found that while a majority see themselves in good health, 1-in-2 reported that they wished they had more strength or energy to participate in the activities that they enjoy.

With medication nonadherence estimated to cost the U.S. healthcare system anywhere between $100 billion and $300 billion dollars, according to the National Institutes of Health, pharmacy technology companies are looking to create tools that pharmacists can implement to help patients be more adherent, saving the health system money and improving patient health in the process.

The underlying economics of health care going forward, where providers are incentivized to manage better health outcomes even as the cost burden continues to shift to the consumer, will favor retail pharmacy in the coming decade, suggested Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, health economist for Think Health.