New professional marketing program behind Monistat expected to drive incremental sales

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Prestige Brands will be resuming healthcare professional marketing programs in support of its Monistat vaginal treatments, a program that hasn't been in play since 2008, the company's chief executive told analysts Thursday. "We're pleased to announce that we're going to take steps to restore our leadership position with health care professionals, and we have six initiatives that we are embarking upon to do that," said Matthew Mannelly, Prestige Brands president and CEO. 

 

The move is expected to be incremental to the over-the-counter category, as healthcare professionals have been recommending a prescription remedy of vaginal yeast infections over the OTC solution Monistat ever since professional marketing programs had been eliminated seven years ago. Currently, Prestige Brands possesses a 45.5% dollar share of the vaginal treatment category with $128.2 million in sales, up 0.1%, for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 28 across total U.S. multi-outlet channels, according to IRI. 

 

"For women who have yeast infections ... most women visit the doctor the first time they have a yeast infection. Their options are very simple, they can either get a prescription of fluconazole or the doctor can tell them that they can take an over-the-counter product," Mannelly said. "[As many as] 70% of consumers, patients, use what their doctor recommends." 

 

The first step Prestige Brands will take will be to employ a direct professional sales force to call on OB/GYN offices. Second, Prestige Brands will facilitate peer-to-peer education. "We have relationships with a number of key health care professional influencers who reach out through webinars and other means to OB/GYNs, and we are working with them to do that," Mannelly said. 

 

In addition, Prestige Brands will be conducting e-mails and direct-mail campaigns to these health care professionals. "We want to begin a dialogue with them. We want to engage them, and we want to enroll them in some of the programs that we are doing," Mannelly said. 

 

Prestige Brands will also be sampling Monistat products in medical offices for the first time. 

 

"We're very excited about this, and the most important reason is this - Monistat is as effective as a prescription in terms of fluconazole, yet it works 4 times faster in terms of symptom relief," Mannelly said. "That is a major consumer benefit that we want to make sure that healthcare professionals are touting to consumers."

 

In addition, Monistat cures a broader spectrum of yeast infection strains than does fluconazole, Mannelly added.  

 

"The initiatives that we're undertaking in the long-term health care program that we're going to install beginning in the first quarter, we believe is going to have a significant impact on the business over time," he said.