OTC Pain

 SAN FRANCISCO - Beginning this fall, all those suffering from osteoarthritis, sports injuries, and everyday wear and tear will be able to find relief as 4Jointz, a natural over-the-counter cream, launches in the United States.

4Jointz is a clinically proven topical pain reliever that uses a novel, patented technology combining natural allantoin present in a standardized comfrey extract with tannic acid and eucalyptus oil as part of an herbal formula.

ARLINGTON, Texas - The H-E-B exclusive brand TexaClear on Wednesday expanded into two SKUs of liquid pain relief with the acquired formulas formerly known as VanaPain.

The new branding is complemented by a new and improved taste while still providing the same fast acting, liquid relief for both daytime and nighttime pains, GM Pharmaceuticals announced.

HAZLETON, Pa. - Troy Healthcare on Tuesday announced line extended its Stopain line with a Stopain Migraine offering - a topical pain relieving gel that is massaged onto the back of the neck and behind each ear.

COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. — Cirrus Healthcare will be launching the clinically designed earplugs MigraineX, along with an app that tracks shifts in barometric pressure, a known trigger of migraines. “Weather causes migraines,” noted Lanny Lewis, SVP business development at Cirrus Healthcare, and not a lot of people know that. Cirrus is looking to change that, Lewis said.

The demographic that’s driving much of the 10.3% growth across external analgesics may come as a surprise because it isn’t an arthritis-suffering baby boomer.

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

Internal analgesics is slightly down in retail sales with a 0.6% decrease year-over-year. As the largest segment in internal analgesics, tablets were down 0.4%. This performance was driven down primarily by private label and Bayer products. Private-label internal analgesics were down 5%, and Bayer was down 4%. Pfizer saw no change in sales. McNeil’s return to the market did well, reflecting a 17% increase over the same time period last year. The external analgesic category was up 7% year-over-year.

The next big Rx-to-OTC switch opportunity in 2017 could be migraine treatments.

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

“They did switch Imitrex [in Europe],” Laura Mahecha, industry manager healthcare for Kline Group, said, citing concerns of “potential cardiovascular side effects.” Mahecha called the potential of a 2017 migraine switch “low to moderate.”