In this Issue

Twenty years ago this month, I put on what was then my “lucky” tie, this horrible, neon yellow number from Banana Republic — it wore more like a bad Hawaiian shirt than a tie — and I started a new job as senior editor for OTCs and natural health at Drug Store News.

Sure, I have a lot less hair today than I did then, but I also have much better taste in ties.

The top three brands in this year’s list of breakthrough brands, defined as those brands either introduced within the 52 weeks ended Dec. 25, 2016, or those brands that experienced blockbuster incremental growth in that time frame, feature the leading meal-replacement solutions on the market today in Premier Protein, Clif Bar and SlimFast, according to IRI. A fourth brand — Quest Nutrition’s Quest Bars — also ranks high on the list. It’s reflective of the consumer need for products that embody an aspirational health- and-wellness direction that many U.S.

The graying of the baby boomers, an increased focus on supplementing healthier lifestyles and the steady stream of nasal corticosteroid brands making their way from prescription-only to the more value-oriented OTC aisle were just three significant drivers behind the growth of over-the-counter medicines in 2016.

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

With the oldest of the baby boomers celebrating birthday No. 71 in 2017, sales of durable medical equipment and the kind of home health products that help transition patient care from hospital settings to the home in the retail setting have only one direction to go. And that’s up.

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

Specialty and biotech medicines aimed at treating cancer, multiple sclerosis and rare diseases will dominate much of drug development in 2017 and beyond, one of the nation’s top specialty pharmacy providers concluded.

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

Among the 22 novel new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2016, about half were considered specialty drugs, and Diplomat identified four key specialty approvals that innovate in certain categories. Two of these were in the hepatitis C space, which has driven specialty growth for several years.

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

For those retailers bold enough to sniff out a fresh opportunity, at least as far as the mass merchant space is concerned, aromatherapy realized some rosy sales gains in 2016. Citing Nielsen data, Piping Rock reported the aromatherapy opportunity in mass is racing along at an annual growth trajectory of 121%, reaching $44 million for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 31, 2016 across all outlets combined.

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

Maybe men have been the secret all along to pumping up front-end sales.

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