Geography

Some FDA employees who were recently laid off by the Trump Administration are being called back to work, multiple sources confirmed to the Pink Sheet.

Bayer is investing $52m in its Lerma, Mexico manufacturing site, which the firm said will enable it to increase production of key OTC brands like Aspirin and Alka-Seltzer from 100m to 140m units by 2030.

Proposed administrative order likely is first to prompt opposition from OTC industry or other stakeholders potentially delaying or deferring the agency’s expectation for moving its proposal to a deemed final order effective one year after it would be published.

Qnovia notes NRT inhalation product recently received investigational new drug clearance from FDA as agency and NIH say innovation needed smoking cessation to help improve rate of success for quitting the habit that kills around 500,000 US consumers annually.

Bayer is investing $52m in its Lerma, Mexico manufacturing site, which the firm said will enable it to increase production of key OTC brands like Aspirin and Alka-Seltzer from 100m to 140m units by 2030.

OTC private label/store brand product giant’s Q2 net sales down 10.7% to $1.1bn, but women’s health product sales jump 31.4% largely on Opill launched late in Q1. Biggest hit to results from infant formula business, down a reported 82% due to ongoing manufacturing quality-control remediation.

Perrigo spares little about Opill’s launch, advertising and outlook in Q1 earnings briefing, but management also makes clear it’s a large firm and some other segments of its global consumer health products business are holding back overall results.

Direct seller reports Q1 sales up 1% to $1.3bn but net sales off 17.1% from year-ago period to $24.3m. Its distributor ranks jumped so far in 2024, particularly in China, where changes were made in the past year including new company leadership.

While no doubt welcome, yet another delay to the EU Deforestation Law and suggestion for another review next year could mean a “never-ending” regulatory exercise that creates uncertainty for manufacturers selling products containing or having been made using materials like palm oil, soya and wood.

UK consumer healthcare industry association, PAGB, suggests improvements that could help accelerate Rx-to-OTC switch in the country.

A new cohort of “techno-enthusiasts” who are highly susceptible to misinformation and inappropriate self-care decisions are undermining Italy's responsible self-medication model, finds a report by Italian self-care industry association, Assosalute, and independent researcher Censis.

In the second part of a special Self-Care Week episode of Over the Counter, HBW Insight speaks to PAGB CEO Michelle Riddalls about what the association is doing to promote self-care.

Negative growth in global OTC market sales volume means that “as an industry, we're not doing good enough,” argues Opella’s Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) head, Carol-Ann Stewart, in this exclusive feature interview.

HBW Insight speaks to Opella's Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) head, Carol-Anne Stewart, about the company's China growth strategy in this exclusive interview.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare continues to widen access to non-prescription medicines with another Rx-to-OTC switch – Rohto Algard Epinastine Eye Drops – and a direct OTC approval of Sato Pharmaceutical's Menofeminin (black cohosh) menopause treatment.

Thanks to a bureaucracy cutting drive by the Vietnamese government, health businesses operating in the country will benefit from a reduced regulatory burden, accelerated product launches, and lower compliance costs.

The global allergy market is “expanding again but on new terms, driven by a mix of regional strength, evolving consumer behaviors, and an increasingly diverse competitive field,” according to the latest IQVIA Consumer Health analysis.

The United for Self-Care Coalition publishes a manifesto that it hopes will accelerate the UN’s vision set out in a recent political declaration that aims to prevent and control non-communicable diseases and promote mental health and wellbeing.

A recent Deloitte survey found that women are emerging as the “chief health officers” of everyday life, younger consumers are something of an enigma, being both adventurous and skeptical, and attitudes to health technologies vary geographically.

HBW Insight catches up with PA Consulting's personalization and consumer expert Rhea Patten to find out what “vibes” are and how understanding this aspect of “consumer centricity” better can help consumer health companies grow their brands.