In this Issue

President Donald Trump — nobody saw that coming.

Except maybe one man Drug Store News interviewed for our January 2011 cover story: Stewart “Stewie Rah-Rah” Rahr, the freewheeling billionaire-philanthropist and former owner/founder of Kinray, the largest privately-held drug distribution company at the time he sold it to Cardinal Health for some $1.3 billion.

CROMWELL, Conn. — I-Health launched a new product women can use to fight urinary tract infections. AZO Urinary Tract Defense features the only antibacterial UTI ingredient available without a prescription to help defend against the progression of an infection until a doctor can be consulted. The tablets also offer general pain relief to alleviate discomfort, the company noted. The new offering could be a boost to a slightly declining category. Sales of vaginal treatments were down 0.8% to $288.4 million for the 52 weeks ended Oct. 2 across total U.S. multi-outlets, IRI reported.

Segmenting the go-to-market strategy to fully incorporate the Hispanic consumer in any OTC product launch is a great way to accelerate sales growth, noted Carlos Gutierrez, VP strategy and insights healthcare at Univision Communications. Univision Communications Inc., in partnership with Nielsen, in October took a deep dive into how Hispanics buy and shop the self-care aisles.

Generic medications saved the U.S. healthcare system more money in 2015 than ever before, according to the eighth-annual “2016 Generic Drug Savings & Access in the United States Report,” compiled by Quintiles IMS Institute on behalf of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

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

There is a new world order across the OTC community, the Kline Group reported.

(To view the full OTC Trend Report, click here.)

Between 2010 and 2015, Johnson & Johnson retained its status as the No. 1 OTC manufacturer by dollar volume organically, without making any blockbuster corporate acquisitions. And Bayer reinforced its hold on the No. 2 OTC market position following its bolt-on acquisition of Merck’s Consumer Health business in 2014.

According to QuintilesIMS National Prescription Audit data from August, Aurobindo Pharma USA continues to eclipse market growth predictions, most recently moving into the Top 6 among all generic companies in prescriptions dispensed.

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

With the advent of complimentary health screenings available through a growing number of retail health fairs — such as CVS Health, Walmart and Sam’s Club and ShopRite, to name a few — more and more consumers are learning for the first time that they may be diabetic or prediabetic from their neighborhood pharmacist as opposed to their primary care doctors.

(To view the full Diabetes Report, click here.)

PITTSBURGH — SmartShake started in 2009 as a solution for gym users and bodybuilders, offering them a leak-proof, nontoxic way to carry and prepare protein powders and shakes. Today, as well as a shaker cup, SmartShake is used as a lunch box, water bottle, snack box, coffee cup, etc. SmartShake is available in a range of sizes, models and colors. The shaker cups feature compartments that store powder, pills, snacks or other items. The patented Snap-On strainer will mix powdered drinks, sauces and dressings.