OTC29-07-11p1&28FIN.qxd 29/7/11 10:13 Page 1 29 July 2011 COMPANY NEWS 2 RB expands Mucinex 2 Pfizer decides to keep as generics loom Ransom sells contract 3 manufacturing arm Consumer Healthcare J&J’s US OTC sales 4 halve in two years Forest Laboratories buys 5 fizer has decided to keep its Consumer pharmaceutical products”, Read pointed out, six OTC brands from GSK PHealthcare business following a review and also had “strong connections with emerging Hi Capital acquires stake 6 of all its operations. markets and pharmacy customers worldwide”. in Pharmacy Chain 36.6 However, the US-based pharmaceutical com- Read’s comments seem to bring an end to a Novartis looks to grow 7 pany is exploring the strategic alternatives, in- period of uncertainty for the Consumer Health- OTC business cluding divestment, for its Animal Health and care business, which Pfizer gained when it ac- Emerging markets to dominate 8 Nutrition businesses. quired Wyeth in October 2009 (OTC bulletin, at GSK Ian Read, Pfizer’s president and chief exec- 30 October 2009, page 3). DocMorris keeps growing 9 utive officer,said the company believed it could In February of this year,Read – who took as new customers log on continue to “enhance the value” of the Con- the reins at Pfizer in December 2010 – chal- FDA files decree against 10 sumer Healthcare business, which he insisted lenged the Consumer Healthcare business to dietary supplement firm had a “strong connection” to the company’s prove its worth to Pfizer (OTC bulletin,11 Feb- core biopharmaceutical operations. ruary 2011, page 14). GENERAL NEWS 11 Consumer Healthcare had the potential to Read’s comments coincided with Consumer “extend the value of certain Pfizer legacy bio- ■ Continued on page 16 Commission plans repeal of 11 law covering dietetic foods Eisai moves to switch 12 rabeprazole in the UK EFSA releases fifth batch 13 Centralised sumatriptan switch rejected of opinions on health claims Counterfeit Directive leaves 14 alpharm’s bid to gain non-prescription sta- ient would increase the risk of cerebrovascu- much to do Gtus for the migraine medicine sumatriptan lar and cardiovascular side-effects, and poten- US court backs Watson 15 using Europe’s centralised procedure has been tial misuse”. in Mucinex patent case turned down. In addition, the CHMP felt that monitoring Germany defers paracetamol 16 The rejection comes despite the fact that was essential because migraine as a condition decision sumatriptan is already a non-prescription med- changed over time, as did the patient’s cere- icine for treating migraine in some countries, brovascular and cardiovascular status. MARKETING NEWS 17 including New Zealand, Sweden and the UK. The measures proposed by Galpharm to re- Furthermore, medicines for treating the symp- duce these risks were “insufficient”, according Beiersdorf boosts Eucerin 17 toms of migraine are available without a pre- to the members of the CHMP. range for acne-prone skin scription in many countries. Sumatriptan Galpharm was developed as a Hedrin expands in the UK 18 Europe’s Committee for Medicinal Products generic version of GlaxoSmithKline’s Imigran. with ‘fuss-free’ treatment for Human Use (CHMP) decided Sumatriptan The CHMP accepted that it was bioequivalent FEATURES 20 Galpharm – containing 50mg sumatriptan – to Imigran. could not be approved in the non-prescription Overall, the CHMP concluded that the ben- Developing regions drive 20 setting. The CHMP maintained that “lack of efits of making Sumatriptan Galpharm avail- OTC growth medical supervision and monitoring of the pat- ■ Continued on page 13 A look at global OTC trends REGULARS Events – Our regular listing 19 Shotter to leave Germany’s Merck KGaA People – Brossard replaces Cotard 26 as head of France’s AFIPA eter Shotter will step down as worldwide Udit Batra, head of global public health and People – Reckitt promotes Pane 27 Phead of Merck KGaA’s Consumer Health market access at Novartis’ Vaccines and Diag- to global healthcare position Care division on 1 September 2011 and leave nostics unit, has been named as his replacement. the German company by the end of the year. ■ Continued on page 13 OTC29-07-11p2-3FIN.qxd 29/7/11 08:55 Page 2 OTC COMPANY NEWS Business Strategy/First-Half Results RB expands Mucinex as generics loom eckitt Benckiser has expanded the reach cinex line until 28 April 2020 (see page 15). quired SSL International last November (OTC Rof its Mucinex brand into the US multi- Becht admitted that the case against Watson bulletin,30 July 2010, page 1) – added £344 symptom cold category,as the company pre- had been lost and that the generics firm would million, the company said. On a like-for-like pares for the impact of generic competition to be in a position to launch its own versions of basis, total sales had advanced by 11%. the brand’s core cough products. “pretty much the full line” of Mucinex guaife- The Healthcare business had benefitted from Bart Becht, Reckitt Benckiser’s outgoing nesin-based cough products once the generics the “very good growth” achieved by the Mu- chief executive officer,said the Mucinex Fast- had been approved by the US Food and Drug cinex, Nurofen and Strepsils brands, Reckitt Max range of liquid products had been devel- Administration (FDA). Benckiser pointed out, all of which had been oped to treat a variety of symptoms associated Reckitt Benckiser is also facing a Mucinex boosted by line extensions and a stronger cold with colds and would help mitigate the impact patent challenge from Perrigo and has already and flu season. Gaviscon had also been a good of generic competition to Mucinex’ existing settled a case with URL/Mutual. contributor,the company noted. cough products. The new line of Mucinex products consists Looking ahead, the Strepsils brand would The US Court of Appeals recently upheld of four liquids: Mucinex Fast-Max Cold, Flu be extended in the second half of 2011, Kapoor a decision that Watson Pharmaceuticals’ guai- & Sore Throat; Mucinex Fast-Max Severe Con- said, with the launch of Strepsils Children 6+ fenesin tablets did not infringe the US patent gestion & Cough; Mucinex Fast-Max Cold & and Strepsils Sore Throat & Cough. 6,372,252, which protects the established Mu- Sinus; and Mucinex Fast-Max DM Max for Strepsils Children 6+ was the brand’s first Cough & Chest Congestion. lozenge specifically targeted at children, Kapoor Rakesh Kapoor,Reckitt Benckiser’s chief pointed out, while Strepsils Sore Throat & Cough executive officer designate, pointed out that each was the first lozenge that tackled tickly cough, Business Strategy of the four variants contained the maximum which he claimed was the number one symp- strength of active ingredients – including para- tom of a sore throat. Alliance Boots cetamol and phenylephrine – allowed for the In the Personal Care business, Dettol had symptoms each product was indicated to relieve. continued to grow in developing markets, Reck- The Mucinex brand would be entering a itt Benckiser said, as well as in Europe, where eyes China deal market segment “two-to-three times the size the rollout of the No Touch Hand Soap Sys- of the cough category”, Kapoor pointed out, but tem had been “very encouraging”. lliance Boots is in talks to acquire a hold- one which was also much more competitive. The Dettol brand would be expanded in Aing in Nanjing Pharmaceutical Group, the To ensure Mucinex could compete in this the second half of the year with the Dettol largest shareholder in Chinese pharmaceutical segment, Reckitt Benckiser had combined Healthy Touch Moisturising Sanitiser,Kapoor wholesaler Nanjing Pharmaceutical. the brand equity Mucinex had built up in the revealed, and a line of male personal-care The pan-European wholesaler and retailer cough category,Kapoor noted, with maximum products aimed at the Middle East and other said it had signed a letter of intent with Nanjing strength ingredients and a liquid formulation developing markets. and both companies believed the potential col- that was the best-tasting in the category. Reckitt Benckiser had also launched its laboration would provide “substantial support Meanwhile, Reckitt Benckiser saw a 45% rise first Durex condom product since acquiring to the Chinese government in its commitment in sales at constant exhcnage rates at its Health the brand, Kapoor noted. Durex Performax In- to healthcare reform over the next 10 years”. & Personal Care business to £1.54 billion (C1.74 tense, now available in France, had been de- Described as a “leading pharmaceutical billion) in the first half of 2011 (see Figure 1). signed to provide a “more intense experience wholesaler in China”, Nanjing reported sales Sales from the Durex and Scholl brands – for both men and women”, he said. of CNY15.3 billion (C1.7 billion) in 2010. which Reckitt Benckiser gained when it ac- OTC Nanjing’s primary customers were hospitals and retail chains, including its own stores, Al- Business First-half sales Change 2010/2011 (%) liance Boots pointed out, noting that the com- (£ millions) £CER* pany had established a strong position in its Health & Personal Care1,536 +44 +45 home province of Jiangsu as well as the key Fabric Care757 -6 -5 provinces of Anhui and Fujian, and had ex- Surface Care692 +1 +2 panded into seven further provinces. Home Care569 +1 +3 Alliance Boots announced in November Dishwashing 453 ±0 +1 last year that it intended to become a leading Other 105 –– player in the Chinese market and had identi- Household and Health & Personal Care 4,112 +14 +15 fied ways to increase its presence (OTC bul- letin,16 November 2010, page 3). Pharmaceuticals 360 +16 +22 At the time, a spokesperson for Alliance Food 149 +2 +8 Boots told OTC bulletin that the company was Total Reckitt Benckiser 4,621 +14 +15 looking at “several opportunities” and one might be “seized in the near future”.