New Products

To put it in Facebook terms, the pharmaceutical industry by and large has yet to friend American consumers.

A new report from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics concludes that fewer than half of the top 50 global pharmaceutical manufacturers “have some level of healthcare social media engagement.” This, despite the fact that “increasingly, patients are turning to social media as an essential forum for obtaining and sharing information related to their health,” noted Murray Aitken, the institute’s executive director.

The one-time $100 million asthma-relief brand Primatene may make a comeback to the marketplace after a more than two-year hiatus. Primatene Mist had been withdrawn from the market in December 2011 when the agency removed all inhalers containing chlorofluorocarbons from the market.

ST. LOUIS — Lighter-weight cat litters are gaining ground. Purina recently introduced Tidy Cats LightWeight 24/7 Performance, a litter that is at least 50% lighter than traditional scooping cat litter, but has all the benefits of regular litters. A combination of clay and natural lightweight materials makes buying, pouring and storing much easier for pet owners. The product offers continuous odor control, is 99.9% dust free and produces light, tight clumps for easy clean up.

ATLANTA — Coca-Cola is rolling out its Dasani Sparkling line, five naturally flavored, unsweetened and lightly carbonated waters. Dasani Sparkling is available in a 12-oz. 12-pack, and in 20-oz. and 1-liter PET PlantBottle sizes. The line marks the latest addition to the Dasani brand. Last year, the brand added flavored water enhancers, Dasani Drops.

BOULDER, Colo. — Celestial Seasonings, a Hain Celestial Group brand, announced the introduction of its new line of organic and Fair Trade Certified Estate Teas. The new teas will be available exclusively at Whole Foods Markets stores across the nation and include varieties like English Breakfast Black Tea, Earl Grey Black Tea, Pure Green Tea, Jasmine Green Tea and Perfect Trio.

Where is pharmacy automation headed, and how will it be put to use by pharmacists and the companies that employ them?

NEW YORK — Another nighttime remedy that historically has performed well is Procter & Gamble’s combo pack of Vicks Nyquil and Vicks Dayquil. Sales of the combo liquids were up 94.2% to $39 million, and sales of its tablet combo pack were up 16% to $45.7 million. Vicks combination packs may soon get another lift from the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Russia, of which P&G is one of the corporate sponsors. The Vicks Nyquil/Dayquil brands tapped U.S. Alpine skier Ted Ligety as a spokesman this season.

NEW YORK — The celebrity fragrance trend continues to live on, and among the latest entrants is singer and songwriter Enrique Iglesias.

The artist has teamed up with Coty to develop his own line of signature fragrances, with the first fragrance slated to launch in the summer.

Coty Beauty president Renato Semerari noted that the partnership marks a great opportunity to expand in emerging markets, especially Brazil, which is the world’s largest fragrance market.