Chain Drug Review, February 4, 2019

16 Chain Drug Review February 4 2019 CATEGORY INSIGHTS O T C EXTERNAL ANALGESICS Creams oils top the list of topical delivery forms NEW YORK As the population gets older and seniors are more active Americans are suffering from a plethora of aches and pains which is great news for the external analgesics market Externals continue to have much more significant growth than the flat pills business up 7 in dollars notes Katie McNichol principal in client insights at IRI This growth is not just price premium related with units growing rather well up 4 She says that from a form standpoint creams and oils drove the most growth in 2018 Biofreeze maintains the No 1 growth brand once again driving double digit trends in both dollar and unit sales Salonpas is also on a consistent growth pattern the last few years The big new news is from Theraworx Relief this is new to the category it did just under 20 million in sales in 2018 compared to under 1 million in 2017 Their focus specifically targets foot and leg cramps Available without a prescription Theraworx Relief is a fastabsorbing foam or spray that can be applied daily to prevent muscle cramps and spasms or as needed to release a cramp quickly and reduce muscle soreness Theraworx Relief has received a Hamacher star rating and is rapidly becoming a planogram addition for chain drug stores Theraworx is a clinically proven and published solution to reduce and prevent refractory symptoms associated with restless leg syndrome and nocturnal cramps and spasms with a true antispasmodic muscle relaxant mechanism of action states Avadim Technologies founder and chief executive officer Steve Woody Woody also notes that social media has been huge for the brand We are engaging not only the consumer patient but also the health care professional and in particular during launch phase the retail pharmacist which is the leading source of professional recommendations for cramps and spasms Michael McGoohan chief marketing officer Performance Health says topical analgesics like Biofreeze use cryotherapy meaning relief comes in the form of a cooling sensation on the area of pain Ice is the most popular form of cryotherapy but that doesnt mean its the best way to administer cold relief While its definitely an effective way to reduce pain ice does have some significant disadvantages such as stiffness skin irritation temporary pain and numbness and it generally requires you to remain stationary Whether you rub it in roll it on or spray it Biofreeze offers an effective alternative to traditional icing Its portable fast acting and doesnt drip cold water on you plus it allows you to keep moving right after applying it he notes In one comparison study Biofreeze was shown to provide nearly two times the pain reduction than ice did Participants in that study also reported that the relief from Biofreeze lasted longer than from traditional ice Biofreeze offers pain relief lasting up to four hours for many areas of your body It has been shown to reduce pain and swelling for anyone suffering from low back pain arthritis and delayed onset muscle soreness John Incledon president of Hisamitsu America manufacturer of Salonpas says that there has been a little bit of a shift to topical pain relievers over the last couple of years as opioid and oral prescription NSAID concerns have health care providers looking for alternatives to manage pain You can see increases in prescription topical NSAIDs and we certainly see this on the overthe counter side where topical analgesics have been one of the fastest growing O T C categories three years running Certainly there is a lot of enthusiasm for CBD products in the pain space perhaps bordering on irrational exuberance to borrow a term used by former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan CBD has many hurdles to clear as both a supplement and drug before it should attain distribution Incledon feels that the drug channel has been the best student of category dynamics to date They are all leaning on their loyalty card data and putting the information to good strategic and tactical use Specifically they are reflecting a pain management mindset instore No longer is it pills or topicals but rather there is a place for both Initially topicals were moved out of first aid and placed adjacent to or across from systemic analgesics in planograms Market baskets ticked up as consumers were buying both topicals and systemics Promotion behavior now reflects this idea of copromoting topicals and systemics in ads and displays with the result being a bigger market basket He says that consumers really want reliability and dependability in the products they are buying especially pain products In the topical space that is more than just the formula of actives Many generic patch manufacturers have struggled capturing lidoderm sales on the Rx side because of poor patch adhesion Thats an unfortunate development for the pain sufferer but it is an opportunity for O T C lidocaine patches which have sold very well since their introduction in 2015 He adds that Salonpas has the only New Drug Application in the category So what we call our master SKU the Salonpas Pain Relief Patch Large has the strongest claims in the category and frankly in the entirety of O T C drug pain remedies Because our clinical data was done in mild and moderate pain sufferers Topical analgesics such as Biofreeze utilize cryotheraphy O T C lidocaine patches have sold well since their introduction our drug facts label indicates we can treat mild or moderate pain We are the strongest labeled pain reliever you can buy without a prescription and that includes Aleve and Advil he explains He says that when the company launched its roll on and cream lidocaine 4 products we understood the onset of lidocaine is longer than the other actives available topically O T C To see if we could improve on that we introduced these items with two anesthetics Incledon says in March the company will roll out Salonpas HOT the top selling product in the capsicum category in a new value pack that includes three folded patches in a pack As our consumers typically purchase multiple Salonpas HOT units at a time we developed a three pack to provide better value and convenience for them The patches are the same patch as offered in the one pack but are folded in half for packaging convenience Salonpas HOT releases capsaicin a natural odor free pain reliever for long lasting pain relief up to eight hours Capsaicin the compound found in chili cayenne and jalapeno peppers is used topically by many medical professionals to help relieve minor pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis or muscle sprains and strains CBD is the hottest thing around NEW YORK Dr Sanjay Gupta president of the American Pain Association APA is leading the efforts to educate physicians lawmakers and insurance companies about the significant health benefits of cannabidiol CBD products for the treatment and management of pain and opioid use disorder APA has hailed the signing of the Farm Bill into law as a breakthrough and major victory for patients and physicians seeking harmless therapeutic modalities to treat people suffering from various pain syndromes including spinal pain migraine neuropathic pain fibromyalgia and opioid use disorder Gupta said CBD can help significantly in pain management as well as the opioid crisis the U S is currently facing however given the cost and lack of insurance coverage many patients are not able to afford it and therefore are more likely to choose the narcotics simply because they are covered by insurance companies With passage of the new law CBD products will soon be on shelves in the mainstream drug channel Perry Antelman chief executive officer of Abacus Health Products Inc said it was the first company to secure Food and Drug Administration registration for a family of products infused with CBD and it began distribution to health care practitioners in 2016 Because of their extraordinary effectiveness our products quickly became the No 1 preferred external analgesics for thousands of practitioners across the United States Distributors reported that our brand is the fastest growing product line in their companys history In the third quarter of 2018 we began launching CBD MEDIC directly to the active fitness and mass retailer markets He says that CBD MEDIC products provide retailers and consumers with an entirely new class of external analgesics They were developed by an experienced pharmaceutical company specializing in topical medication technologies The company is investing heavily to build CBD MEDIC brand awareness He notes Our CBD MEDIC marketing activities cover the full spectrum of programs including consumer print and digital advertising company interviews TV newspaper and magazine and a robust social media platform aimed at reaching multiple audiences and sectors We are confident that CBDMEDIC products will provide stores with a high value product and high volume turnover External Analgesics Rubs TOTAL DOLLAR SALES 1913 mil 96 DRUG STORES 801 mil 102 LEADING BRANDS Market share Dollar sales 000 Dollar sales change Icy Hot 183 14673 73 Salonpas 154 12362 124 Aspercreme 111 8855 97 Biofreeze 107 8567 84 Private label 106 8487 145 Theraworx relief 55 4364 N A Blue Emu 44 3525 63 Bengay 41 3258 87 Tiger Balm 38 3011 13 Boiron Arnicare 34 2689 112 Source IRI For the 12 weeks ended December 2 2018