OTC meds add some flavor

Following in the footsteps of McNeil Consumer, Boehringer Ingelheim recently made a big splash in the digestives aisle with a little pizzazz flavored into its H2-blocker, Zantac 150. The company launched Zantac 150 Cool Mint tablets, helping to continue the company’s growth curve of 14.8 percent to $71.8 million for the 52 weeks ended Sept.9, according to Information Resources Inc., across food, drug and mass (minus Wal-Mart).

The move has helped make Zantac the No. 1 H2-blocker in mass—surpassing Johnson & Johnson’s Pepcid AC ($63.7 million, down 17 percent) and Pepcid Complete ($56.5 million, up 11 percent). McNeil first test-marketed coating a non-chewable tablet with flavor when launching Tylenol Sinus Severe Congestion with Cool Burst in September 2003, followed by Adult Extra Strength Tylenol Cool caplets in April 2004.