Philadelphia’s signature cream cheese spread is going the plant-based route.

The Chicago-based company recently shared news of its latest innovation — Philadelphia Plant-Based.

“The influx of flexitarian consumers has driven growth within the plant-based market, which is now more than 20 times the size of the vegan population,” said Robert Scott, president of research and development at Kraft Heinz. “As the brand that has set the cream cheese standard for 150 years, we realized the current options weren’t meeting consumer expectations and there was no trusted leader. Philadelphia Plant-Based spread not only provides a solution that mirrors the taste and texture of our iconic Philadelphia brand, but it also reinforces Kraft Heinz’s bet to bring plant-based offerings to the masses.”

Featuring a recipe that mirrors the taste and texture of the iconic cream cheese, this plant-based option is made with simple ingredients, does not contain added flavors or dyes, and is free of dairy, lactose and gluten, the company said.

Currently, Philadelphia Plant-Based is available for purchase at select retailers in the southeast and will expand with additional flavors for a national rollout in the summer of 2023.

Fresenius Kabi is introducing KabiCare Nutrition Resources in the United States as part of its KabiCare patient support program.

The KabiCare Nutrition Resources program provides support for insurance reimbursement questions including a helpline staffed by experts to provide billing and coding support, insurance support such as benefit investigation, prior authorization and claims appeals.

“Navigating the complexity of health insurance to provide access to critical parenteral nutrition products continues to be a challenge for some patients,” said Tom Tsilipetros, senior director, Market Access, at Fresenius Kabi USA. “As a leader in parenteral nutrition, Fresenius Kabi’s goal with the KabiCare Nutrition Resources program in the United States is to help assure patients receive their care and parenteral nutrition products in as timely a manner, and as seamlessly, as possible.”

Fresenius Kabi created KabiCare, a Patient Support Program, to support patient access to products across numerous therapeutic areas. KabiCare provides a patient-centric approach that includes support and resources for eligible patients, caregivers and healthcare providers throughout the treatment journey. For eligible patients, support may include navigating complex insurance processes as well as financial assistance.

Amber Specialty Pharmacy is now a partner of WeInfuse’s Specialty Pharmacy Connect Program. This partnership and integration will provide infusion centers with direct ordering access of specialty prescription medications and will reduce administrative burdens associated with payer-mandated specialty pharmacy requirements.

Amber Specialty Pharmacy provides personalized and reliable care to those with complex and chronic conditions with a dedicated team that can guide patients through this new process. Amber Specialty Pharmacy cares for patients in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico with its 19 physical locations and has been proudly serving patients for 25 years, the company said.

“The Amber Specialty Pharmacy team is excited for this partnership and integration with WeInfuse,” said Kristin Williams, president of Amber Specialty Pharmacy. “We believe it will bring easier access when ordering through our specialty pharmacy and will provide a more streamlined approach to the entire process for all WeInfuse clients. Having the ability to link the order with the client’s inventory system will be extremely beneficial for everyone involved. Amber looks forward to simplifying the process for infusion centers.”

The SpecRx electronic ordering integration is set to go live in 2023. This feature will work alongside WeInfuse’s existing predictive inventory tool and will allow infusion clinics to order specialty pharmacy medications directly from the WeInfuse Specialty Pharmacy Inventory Management module. While the eOrder integration may take several months to develop, WeInfuse clients will immediately be provided with dedicated Amber Specialty Pharmacy phone, fax and email lines of communication.

“Unlike with Buy & Bill distributors, specialty pharmacies have historically had very little in the way of personalized customer service,” said Bryan Johnson, CEO and co-founder of WeInfuse. “We are excited to be working with Amber’s team, who will provide a white-glove and truly customer-centric service for our mutual clients. With the WeInfuse and Amber integration, we will be taking the specialty pharmacy experience to a new level.”

Byzzer by NielsenIQ, a data intelligence platform developed to help emerging brands drive growth and win market share, announced the availability of Omnisales data for users of its platform.

The new reporting functionality provides emerging and growth (small and mid-sized) brands with the intelligence they need to navigate the challenges of omnichannel behaviors and shopping.

Emerging brands can now access several pre-built, easy-to-use reports that — for the first time — incorporate NielsenIQ’s in-depth Omnisales data into its Byzzer platform. These reports can help emerging brands compare total brand performance in-store and online (including via click-and-collect and third-party delivery) against competing brands, identify where sales are growing most in which channels and accurately uncover total category and sub-brand performance online, in-store and more.

For emerging brands with limited budgets, NielsenIQ’s Byzzer platform helps level the playing field with three key reports to learn from:

• Omnisales Performance Report: A complete, single view of online and in-store performance at the brand and category levels enables manufacturers to broadly understand what’s driving sales growth in each channel and how that differs between markets.
• The Growth Comparison Report: A graphical representation of the total market sales across channels, providing manufacturers a look into whether sales growth is coming from one primary channel or sub-market, for example, and identifying where sales growth is originating for selected brands. It also looks at which brands are growing the fastest in each channel relative to their overall sales.
• Omni Market Comparison Report: A side-by-side comparison of one selected product across up to 10 markets to see how omnichannel performance could impact placement and distribution decisions of a product sold in the selected markets.

Combined, the three reports and Omnisales data available within the Byzzer platform offer emerging brands a verifiable data set for precise and accurate measurements across online and offline channels, keying in on how consumers shop today and optimizing sales growth within a fragmented marketplace.

“Consumers today move across channels as part of their buying journey — researching online, ordering for curbside pickup, combining in-store pickup with more in-store browsing, and it varies by product and brand,” said Andrew Criezis, senior vice president and general manager of NielsenIQ, Emerging Brands. “Consumers buy differently by channel and respond differently to pricing, promotions, pack size and other factors. To compete with the largest brands in every category, emerging brands need to understand sales performance across every possible channel.”

Canned wine company Archer Roose, which boasts actress Elizabeth Banks as its chief creative officer, has expanded its availability to Target.

“We as a brand are dedicated to producing affordable luxury wines with minimal intervention,” said Marian Leitner-Waldman, CEO of Archer Roose. “It goes without saying that Target is a perfect retail partner as our values and missions are very much aligned.”

The Boston-based company’s beverages can now be found at more than 300 Target stores across the nation, which speaks to its objective to democratize wine and make it more accessible to consumers.

“From the engaging content that Elizabeth stars in for our brand, to joining the team in meetings to discuss the tremendous value of Archer Roose for Target, Archer Roose can credit a huge portion of this win to Elizabeth’s very active role,” said Leitner-Waldman.

Currently, Archer Roose’s Bubble and Bubble Rose are now available at Target stores across the nation that sell alcoholic beverages.

Gold Bond is catering to the skin care needs of the face and body with two new launches — Age Renew Retinol Overnight Body & Face Lotion and Body Bright Daily Body & Face Lotion.

The Age Renew Retinol Overnight Body & Face Lotion is made with retinol to support the skin’s renewal process by exfoliating to help reveal smoother and younger-looking skin. Made with a non-irritating retinol formula that is gentle enough for the face and body, it also contains seven intensive moisturizers and three vitamins to help provide 24-hour hydration.

On the other hand, the Body Bright Daily Body & Face Lotion is formulated to help brighten and smoothen the look of the skin, as well as improve the appearance of dullness. Featuring antioxidants to help refine, brighten and smooth the skin, it contains a fast-absorbing formula that does not clog pores, the company said.

Made without parabens, phthalates or dyes, Gold Bond’s Age Renew Retinol Overnight Body & Face Lotion and Body Bright Daily Body & Face Lotions are available for purchase at retailers nationwide including Amazon, CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens.