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Over The Counter: How To Innovate For The Ages, With Bayer’s Reese Fitzpatrick And Rachel Koontz

 
• By David Ridley

Aspirin is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. To find out what brand owner Bayer Consumer Health is doing to celebrate this occasion, and what it is doing to take the brand into the next 125 years, HBW Insight chats with the company’s senior vice president, Global Head Allergy, Cough/Cold, Pain and Heart Health, Reese Fitzpatrick, and head of R&D, North America and Therapeutics, Rachel Koontz.

HBW Over The Counter Podcast

Already used for a variety conditions by consumers and patients across the world, Aspirin brand has much more to offer, argue Bayer Consumer Health's senior vice president, Global Head Allergy, Cough/Cold, Pain and Heart Health, Reese Fitzpatrick, and head of R&D, North America and Therapeutics, Rachel Koontz. 

In terms of digital self-care, for example, the firm is working with British medtech firm Huma Therapeutics on a Heart Health Risk Assessment app that it currently markets in the US and Middle East, Fitzpatrick and Koontz tell HBW Insight in this latest episode of Over the Counter. (Also see "Bayer Takes Its Aspirin-Branded Digital CVD Screening Tool To Saudi Arabia" - HBW Insight, 10 May, 2024.)

Aspirin also still has Rx-to-OTC switch potential, they reveal, for example in markets like Mexico where the brand is not already available without a prescription. And if that’s not enough, Fitzpatrick and Koontz discuss Bayer’s extension of the Aspi brand into the naturals space, particularly in the cough and cold category in Europe.

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Timestamps

2:25 – Introductions

3:30 – Aspirin’s 125th anniversary

5:50 – Aspirin’s brand longevity

14:15 – Challenges of self-care

25:20 – Digital self-care and chronic conditions

27:50 – Aspirin’s Rx-to-OTC switch potential

33:30 – Science and self-care

39:90 – Natural alternatives

44:15 – What’s next for Aspirin?

Guest Biographies

Reese Fitzpatrick

Reese Fitzpatrick, based in New Jersey, US, is the SVP, Global Head Allergy, Cough/Cold, Pain, Heart Health at Bayer Consumer Health. He has been a passionate brand builder and marketer for 20 years. In this role, he leads global communication and innovation on prominent global brands like Claritin, Aleve, Bayer Aspirin and Afrin. While on Aspirin he led creation of one of the first digital ecosystems (“ProHeart”) in the consumer health industry. He also won an Effie Award for the Dr. Scholl’s “Born to Move” campaign.

Rachel Koontz

Rachel Koontz, based in New Jersey, US, is head of R&D, North America and Therapeutics at Bayer Consumer Health, bringing experience from previous roles at GSK and Reckitt. With a robust skill set that includes R&D, product development, product innovation, formulation, management and more, Rachel contributes valuable insights to the industry.

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