COVID-19

In this episode, HBW Insight talks to BSS Consulting’s Birgit Schuhbauer about her stellar career in consumer health. Until recently, Schuhbauer was global vice president of Johnson & Johnson’s Self Care franchise and president of the Association of the European Self-Care Industry. Now running her own consulting business, Schuhbauer reflects in this first part of a two-part exclusive interview on her career highlights, what it takes to be a leader in OTC and on her role as the AESGP’s first female president during a time of unprecedented change.

“I think that is a value creating opportunity for us as well. We have incredible consumer reach in the US,” says CEO Patrick Lockwood-Taylor. Few companies can say, in “certain categories 80% of the units sold come from us.”

Two firms in India, two in South Korea manufacturing toothpastes and hand sanitizers available in US didn’t respond to FDA’s repeated records requests. Six others in those two countries and Canada and Turkey making sanitizers and toothpastes, including products for children, as well as sunscreens were warned about GMP failures after providing records at agency’s request.

A strong winter cough and cold season, demand for gut health products and price rises have all contributed to a good first six months of 2023 for Germany's OTC market, according to the latest Sempora data. 

Like other big global OTC players, Bayer Consumer Health is stepping up its investment in digital self-care. In the first part of an exclusive interview, HBW Insight catches up with the company's head of R&D and chief scientific officer David Evendon-Challis to dig deeper into the rationale for setting up a new 'prescision health' business unit, including why a holistic and personalized approach to digital self-care increases trust in long-loved and science-backed brands. 

Japanese curcumin specialist Theravalues claims to have found via a randomized clinical trial that its Theracurmin and Theracurmin Super dietary supplements can help alleviate some symptoms of the common cold. “However, the level of evidence is weak,” they warn. “Additionally, because the study was based on the reporting of subjective cold-like symptoms, it is was unclear whether the symptoms were actual subjective symptoms caused by an upper respiratory tract infection.”

FDA’s first premarket approval of OTC test for any respiratory illness went to first firm to receive an EUA for at-home molecular COVID-19 test, Cue Health, which had received $481m from agency to spur its diagnostics development.

The New York-based firm recorded 24% growth in fiscal 2023 first-quarter net sales to $311.7m. The performance reflects growth across all regions as consumers continue to splurge on more expensive fragrances in larger sizes, a trend that arose at the height of the global pandemic.

Firm reports 3.8% Q1 growth in total nutritional sales to $1.97bn, driven by 19.9% growth in total US sales to $812m as formula and other pediatric product sales grew 36.1% to $465m and adult nutritional sales 3.9% to $353m.

An end to US COVID-19 PHE on 10 April doesn’t end inflationary pressure on prices for consumer packaged goods. OTC, supplements and personal care product firms could be reporting consumers during Q1 were going along with price increases, opting for less expensive options or buying less.

“The nonprescription drug space has been a bit challenging over the past two to three years as a result of the pandemic,” says CDER director Patrizia Cavazzoni.

The growth of sales of nutraceuticals through German pharmacy is slowing post-pandemic, according to IQVIA data. However, there were still double-digit gains for vitamin C and multivitamin products.

In this episode, HBW Insight catches up with IQVIA Consumer Health’s vice president of global consulting services, Amit Shukla, to find out how the global consumer healthcare market is performing as it comes out of the pandemic. It’s good news, Shukla reveals, based on the firm’s latest intelligence. The market grew double digits in 2022 and is predicted to expand by 5-6% per year in the future - even faster if some of the innovative switches currently in the pipeline succeed. Shukla points to artificial intelligence, sustainability and popular wellness ingredients as trends to watch that will drive future market growth.

Of GMP warnings for OTC hand sanitizers, 114 have been submitted by FDA since pandemic began, with first sent in late April 2020, and another 12 for false COVID-19 claims, with first sent on 1 April. One GMP warning for hand sanitizer product is listed in both 2018 and 2019.

COVID-19 threat is abating and control measures easing, but government commitments made at height of pandemic to forearm against future health care emergencies should not be abandoned, says German Advisory Council on Health and Care and the IVD industry.

House Energy and Commerce members seek input as appropriate mix of incentives for next-generation, public-private ventures remains elusive.