Latest switch, record pollen levels lure consumers

It’s another year, and another February launch of a nasal corticosteroid has hit drug store shelves. This time it’s McNeil Consumer’s Rhinocort that will be looking to make some headway in one of the fastest-growing categories across the front-end. Already, “from the makers of Zyrtec” and a value proposition — getting more medicine for less money — are being touted as the key marketing differentiators.

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Judging from the last two prescription nasal allergy remedies to make the crossover to OTC aisles, all of this means there will be significant incremental growth to the category. Last year saw $331.9 million in first-year Flonase sales, according to IRI figures, and none of the other leading allergy franchises were notably worse for wear.



All of that suggests there may be more than just new prescription allergy patients hunting the OTC aisles now that their once-prescribed allergy remedy made the switch. Indeed, 2016 may be remembered as the worst pollen season on record. “Unfortunately, it’s true that in the past few years, the amount of pollen in the air during spring allergy season seems to have gotten worse,” stated allergist Bryan Martin, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “One of the reasons is the effects of climate change.”



And the lengthening of pollen allergy seasons is introducing an increased intensity of aeroallergen exposure. According to the World Allergy Organization, over the past 10 years allergy sufferers have had to begin managing their symptoms about two weeks earlier.