Hisamitsu Pharma filed a citizens petition at FDA on 31 December 2009 [received 1/6/10] to remind the FDA to protect its investment in the first and only FDA-approved topical pain relieving patch, Salonpas.  Over the last year Hisamitsu, the maker of Salonpas topical pain patches, has quietly charted the direction of pain relieving topical patches in the United States while others have been less than proactive.

 Find out how & why ...

Many of America's best known consumer healthcare brands were caught up in a "voluntary" recall of contaminated products J&J announced late Friday January 15th.   The FDA issued a formal warning to J&J after an audit of its Puerto Rican plant.  While J&J failed to react and withheld information from FDA for well over a year millions of consumers were exposed to a little-known chemical contaminant.   Worse in a guarded, carefully worded press release Friday J&J chose not to identify the brand names affected either in the text or the title of its press release instead resorting to a lengthy separate pdf attachment.  That fourteen page attachment testifies to the extent and complexity of the recall as does a new website dedicated to the recall.  In fact, consumers must work through the fine print to get the information they need.  As it turns out 53 million bottles of pills are being recalled across iconic brands such as Tylenol, Rolaids, Benedryl and Motrin, or one bottle for every five adult consumers in the U.S.  Over the last two years J&J, P&G and Chattem (Sanofi) have received warning letters concerning serious quality failures causing injury to consumers buying OTC branded products.  If iconic brand names no longer provide an assurance of safety why take a chance with Tylenol, or any OTC brand, with cheaper store brands widely available?

 "You'd better not talk!' said Five. `I heard the Queen say only yesterday you deserved to be beheaded!'

`What for?' said the one who had spoken first. 

`That's none of your business, Two!' said Seven...

The Queen's argument was, that if something wasn't done about it in less than no time she'd have everybody executed, all round. (It was this last remark that had made the whole party look so grave and anxious.)"

- The Queen's Croquet-Ground in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, 1865

When a company is acquired it has immediate and long lasting effects on those employees acquired.  Moreover, the integration of cultures and practices creates paroxysms of turbulence as the acquiring company seeks assimilation and cost synergies.  As a middle-manager who was acquired by Procter & Gamble in its acquisition of Richardson-Vicks in 1985 and was spectator to the assimilation of Norwich-Eaton, Noxema, and Searle OTC by P&G let me apprise recently acquired employees of what to expect.

We inadvertently omitted Zicam from our story on brands that made news in 2009.  The corrected story can be found below: 

The Five Brands That Made News in 2009

Chronic Disease Management:  Opportunities for growth in the sector will increasingly be driven by management of chronic disease not acute problems.  In 2010 these will be gastric reflux/heartburn, allergic rhinitis, and arthritis.  Other chronic conditions include plaque/gingivitis, diabetes, irritable bowel/irregularity, chronic sinusitis, and nail fungus.

Our top five insights of 2009 that proved correct ...

The H1N1 Flu "Pandemic":  Our prediction of the progress and severity of the 2009 H1N1 flu proved better than most governmental health agencies and media outlets.  We predicted that the flu's progress would best be prognosticated by the 1977 H1N1 outbreak.  In both 1977 and 2008-09 H1N1 abruptly reappeared after years of absence as it shifted both genetically and demographically affecting younger age groups.   The attack rate and virulence (severity) of these new strains did not cause the expected morbidity and mortality well beyond the typical annual range.   Concern was ramped up by the WHO and others who repeatedly referenced the pandemics of 1918, 1957 [H2N2] and 1968 [H3N2] and a doomsday scenario.