10 September 2020 - Deborah Wilkes
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare is launching Advil Dual Action in the US with help from actress Angela Kinsey, Mentholatum has two new products in the US, Perrigo has now launched its store-brand version of Voltaren Arthritis Pain in the US, and RB is supplying free access to Dettol hand sanitiser in the UK.
GSK works with Angela Kinsey
GSK Consumer Healthcare has teamed up with actress Angela Kinsey for the launch of its Advil Dual Action pain reliever in the US.
As part of the partnership, Kinsey – who is best known for playing Angela Martin in NBC’s The Office – appears in a series of videos. GSK said “fans can watch her stretching, diving, jumping and flipping, without letting pain – or self-doubt – get in her way, thanks to Advil Dual Action”.
"I want to show people that aches and pains don't have to stop you doing the things you love," said Kinsey. "For me, that's jumping on the trampoline with my kids, strapping on my roller skates, or crafting for hours on end. I know I can rely on Advil Dual Action to alleviate my pain."
GSK said a survey of 1,000 US adults aged 25-65 years – conducted by Advil in partnership with Wakefield Research in July 2020 – found that “while 95% of people experience everyday aches and pains, 80% do not always find complete relief with existing OTC pain treatment options”.
"It is clear consumers are looking for a new option to treat aches and pains," commented Albert Shiue, brand manager at GSK.
GSK said Advil Dual Action was “a first of-its-kind pain fighting formula and the biggest OTC innovation in the oral pain category within the US in 25 years”.
The company added that Advil Dual Action was the first OTC combination of acetaminophen (known as paracetamol in many countries) and ibuprofen to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (click here to read the News story).
Each caplet contains a fixed combination of 250mg acetaminophen and 125mg ibuprofen.
Fixed combinations of paracetamol and ibuprofen are already available without a prescription in a number of countries. RB’s Nuromol made its worldwide debut in the UK in 2011, while AFT Pharmaceuticals markets or outlicenses Maxigesic in several countries.
Mentholatum launches two products
The Mentholatum Company has introduced two new cough and cold products in the US – Mentholatum VaporDuo and Mentholatum Greaseless Vaporizing Cream.
The products combine “natural ingredients with unique technology”, according to Mentholatum.
The company says Mentholatum VaporDuo is a 2-in-1 portable aromatherapy inhaler that offers two ways to get aromatherapy on-the-go. One end of the dispenser has a non-medicated vapour inhaler while the other end has an essential oil rub built into an applicator.
The product blends camphor with natural menthol and eucalyptus oil.
Mentholatum Greaseless Vaporizing Cream is described as a “non-greasy formula” that contains “100% natural camphor, eucalyptus oil, and menthol active ingredients”.
The product provides “maximum-strength cough relief in a mess-free, fast-absorbing cream with long-lasting vapours for everyone ages 2 and up”, says Mentholatum, adding that it also “temporarily relieves minor aches and pains of muscles and joints”.
Perrigo launches store-brand Voltaren
Perrigo has now launched its store-brand version of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare’s topical pain reliever Voltaren Arthritis Pain in the US.
Rich Sorota, executive vice president of Perrigo and president of the company’s Consumer Self-Care Americas business – said the “first-to-market store-brand launch is a testament to the power, speed and versatility of Perrigo’s OTC self-care platform and research and development capabilities”.
GSK announced in February 2020 that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had switched its topical pain reliever Voltaren (diclofenac sodium topical gel 1%) from prescription-to-OTC status (click here to read the News story).
On 6 April 2020, Perrigo said it had received approval from the FDA for its abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for OTC diclofenac sodium topical gel 1% (click here to read the News story).
The company said generic prescription sales of Voltaren Arthritis Pain before it switched to OTC were approximately USD250 million a year.
RB supplies free Dettol hand sanitiser
Reckitt Benckiser (RB) is providing free access to Dettol antibacterial hand sanitiser at all London Underground stations in the UK.
The company said supplying 874 Dettol hand sanitiser units was part of its Keep Protecting ambition, which champions simple things such as “regularly washing your hands when you come home from outdoors, keeping surfaces in your home disinfected, and using sanitiser when out and about to help keep safe and healthy”.
RB said the Dettol antibacterial hand sanitiser dispensed to the public had been proven to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, including SARS-COV-2. The gel contains 62% alcohol.