Europe

Control of Sanofi Consumer Healthcare – recently rebranded as Opella – may soon pass to US private-equity firm CD&R but the French firm looks set to retain a substantial stake in a business which has some big Rx-to-OTC switches in the pipeline.

Bayer adds dry eye treatment to its Bepanthen skin care range; Stada launches special edition Elotrans supplement for Eintracht Frankfurt fans; Hermes offers chewable magnesium supplement; and Klosterfrau introduces Oyono Night extension to help troubled sleepers maintain their immunity.

UK pharma also reaches agreement in principle, subject to DoJ approval, to pay $70m to resolve a whistleblower complaint filed by Valisure, the testing lab which in 2019 raised concerns about a potential link between the use of drugs containing ranitidine, a histamine-2 blocker, and cancer.

ProBiotix Health has announced two commercial partnerships for the distribution of its probiotic ingredients, with Deutsch-Pharm in Ukraine and Eifron in Greece respectively.

UK consumer healthcare industry association PAGB is calling on the UK government to explore the Rx-to-OTC switch of at least 25 OTC products over five years, and work with the country's medicines agency to re-evaluate the restrictive criteria for reclassification. 

Country Life Vitamins launches healthy aging support line as it announces less than half of US consumers in a recent survey were aware of biological processes that affect aging. Groupe Berken and Arctic Biosciences partner to bring to North America herring caviar oil extract in a supplement designed to support optimal health across all life stages.

A leading provider of over-the-counter health and wellbeing products in the DACH region will be created through the merger of Merz Lifecare and Windstar Medical.

Cosmetics Europe’s John Chave highlights the important role that industry must have in educating the public about chemicals used in cosmetic products. The association’s COSMILE Europe database launched last year is one such measure to combat misinformation while industry braces for potential impacts resulting from new hazard categories under the Classification, Labeling and Packaging (CLP) regulation.

Monaco-based Sérélys markets pollen-based supplements for a range of women's health issues, including premenstrual syndrome, postpartum discomfort and menopause.

To coincide with Stoptober – an annual campaign that encourages smokers in the UK to quit smoking for the month of October – Kenvue has launched a digital “branded entertainment” series for smoking cessation brand Nicorette that follows smokers on their quitting journeys.

Maxwellia is inviting 100 investors to contribute to the “development of new healthcare solutions that will benefit millions, while also playing a role in shaping the future of self-care.”

Cosmetics Europe hopes a more “competitive” spirit will define the 2024-2029 regime. Director-general John Chave discusses the association’s outlook on planned revisions to REACH and the Cosmetic Products Regulation in the new EU institutional mandate.

Leadership changes at Norgine, IPHA and Orifarm feature in this week's round-up of European consumer health people news.

Food Standards Agency tells companies marketing caffeine supplements, “It is your responsibility to ensure food supplements you sell are safe for human consumption.”

The RAC opinion begins the process of prohibiting use of talc in cosmetic products marketed in the EU. A consultation period will follow the Commission’s preparation of a delegated act.

Mucinex Sinus saline nasal spray is designed to treat sinus-related symptoms as “first-ever drug-free saline product” with a dual nozzle offering two spray settings, marketer Reckitt-Benckiser says.

This Thursday (26 October) the United Nations will discuss whether OTC antimicrobial products should be restricted to prescription-only status by UN member states. In advance of this, we catch up with UK association CEO Michelle Riddalls, to learn about the PAGB’s role in crafting the global consumer healthcare industry’s response.

Philip Morris described a scenario of being essentially blacklisted by the health care sector and its CDMO partners as it threw in the towel on its £1.1bn acquisition of UK inhalation specialist Vectura. It agreed to offload the firm at a fraction of the initial cost.

Companies launching food supplements in France must now navigate a new product notification platform. EcoMundo’s Corinne Rayapin discusses why the change is happening and the expected benefits for both industry and consumers.

In this installment of HBW Insight’s “Inside Regulatory Affairs” series, Haleon’s regulatory strategist Niels Kildemark welcomes the challenges that the EU Green Deal brings, but warns that meaningful consultation with all stakeholders, including industry, must be prioritized to ensure clarity of regulatory purpose and execution.