United Kingdom

FDA Clears Qnovia’s NRT Inhalation IND, Commits To ‘Stimulating’ Smoking Cessation Innovation

 

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.

GSK Tab To Clear Zantac Litigation Ledger Of 93% Of Complaints Pending In State Courts: $2.2Bn

 

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.

PAGB ‘State Of The Nation’ Report: Rx-To-OTC Switch Should Be Priority For UK Gov

 
• By 

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. 

Kenvue Launches ‘Branded Entertainment’ Series For Nicorette In The UK

 
• By 

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.


UK’s Maxwellia Looking For £2m Investment To Fuel ‘Next Phase Of Rapid Growth’

 
• By 

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.”

Death Linked To Caffeine Powder Prompts UK Supplements Guidance

 
• By 

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

Mucinex Brand Enters Drug-Free Space With Saline Nasal Spray Featuring Dual Nozzles

 

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.

PAGB: AMR Issue Should Be About ‘Stewardship’ Not Making OTCs Prescription-Only

 
• By 

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.


Tobacco Giant Philip Morris Sells Medical Device Business, Keeps Consumer Health Footprint

 
• By 

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.

‘Inside Regulatory Affairs’ With AdverCheck’s Lucy Rochford And James Walmsley

 
• By 

In this instalment of HBW Insight’s “Inside Regulatory Affairs” series, AdverCheck managing directors Lucy Rochford and James Walmsley describe how the consumer health industry is increasingly outsourcing its advertising copy review as it moves closer to the fast-moving consumer goods sector. They also point to a worrying trend in the UK of advertising prescription-only medicines online.

UK’s Maxwellia Uses High-Tech Hologram To Promote Period Pain Brand Ultravana

 
• By 

Commuters travelling through London's Waterloo train station this month witnessed Maxwellia's menstrual health brand Ultravana promoted via Disturbed Media Group's spectacular 3D hologram technology. 

Perrigo Adds High-Strength Paracetamol To UK Solpadeine Line

 
• By 

Perrigo aims its new SolpaOne high-strength paracetamol effervescent at UK pharmacists, who now have expanded powers as part of the UK government's Pharmacy First initiative. 


Can Creatine Supplementation Improve Cognitive Function? No, Says UK Health Claims Committee

 
• By 

Germany's Alzchem failed to convince the UK's health claims committee that daily creatine supplementation can contribute to improved cognitive function. 

People On The Move At Galenica, Haleon, Alliance Pharma

 
• By 

A round-up of the latest moves in Europe's consumer health industry: Galenica names head of new Products & Home Care business unit; Haleon appoints general counsel; Alliance Pharma eliminates COO role.

Infographic: Mental Health, Menopause And Weight Loss Ads Targeted By ASA's AI Monitoring System

 
• By 

Consumer health, particularly food supplements that make unauthorized medical or health claims, has been a key area of focus for the UK Advertising Standards Authority's recently introduced Active Ad Monitoring system, which captures ads by relevant advertisers from a range of social media platforms, and applies machine learning algorithms to identify and flag likely non-compliant ads, which are then sent to experts to review and act on. This infographic highlights recent ASA rulings against ads for supplements claiming to treat anxiety and stress, menopause, autism/ADHD and weight loss, which were flagged by AI.

How The UK's ASA Is Using AI To Monitor Online Advertising At Scale

 
• By 

Unauthorized medical or health claims for dietary supplements are a key focus area for the UK advertising regulator's new AI-powered Active Ad monitoring system. HBW Insight speaks to the ASA’s head of data science, Adam Davison, in this exclusive interview to find out more about the organization's journey towards pre-emptive regulation. 


Just One Month Remains To Enter OTC Marketing Awards 2024

 
• By 

Don't miss out on a chance to win an OTC Marketing Award. The entry deadline is fast approaching ahead of the presentation ceremony in London later this year.

Kenvue Survey: UK Parents Want To Quit Smoking, But Don‘t Know How

 
• By 

Just under a third of UK parents who smoke or have smoked in the past believe there isn’t enough support to quit, and nearly a quarter don’t know where to go for support, Kenvue reports, based on recent surveys. In response, the firm launches the “Smokefree Families” initiative to help the 1.8m households in England with children and at least one smoker to become smoke free. 

Study: OTC Nasal Sprays Reduce Respiratory Illness Duration And Help Tackle AMR

 
• By 

A recently-published study funded by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research finds that use of OTC nasal sprays reduces overall respiratory illness duration by about a fifth. Applied at a population level, self-care could therefore save billions in healthcare and human capital costs, as industry has pointed out elsewhere, as well as redirecting people away from antibiotic treatments that are still widely misprescribed, contributing to the fight against antimicrobial resistance. 

PAGB: Labour Must Prioritize Self-Care In First 100 Days Of New UK Government

 
• By 

The UK's consumer healthcare industry association, PAGB, sets out six priorities for the new UK government, following the landslide victory of the Labour Party in the recent general election. One of these priorities is driving Rx-to-OTC switch - something that the UK public also wants, according to the association's latest Self-Care Census, published to mark International Self-Care Day 2024.