The Cannabis Trades Association UK has initiated legal proceedings to challenge the European Commission's recent decision to classify CBD as a novel food. Meanwhile, the UK government has released an official response to the EU's decision. 

Poland's ministry of health is calling for codeine, dextromethorphan and pseudoephedrine to be reverse-switched from OTC to prescription status in response to abuse of the drugs by adolescents. At the same time, an academic paper argues Ireland should restrict codeine to prescription-only sale to combat an addiction epidemic "verging on eruption."

GSK, Pfizer, HRA Pharma and Mentholatum all enjoyed a particularly fruitful evening at the OTC Marketing Awards 2019. J&J, P&G and RB were also among the winners at a celebration of the best and brightest in the UK consumer health market. 

Consumer health players risk missing deserved revenue and profits by failing to take a holistic approach to net revenue management. In this exclusive interview, Simon-Kucher & Partners’ Josh Goodman explains how effective NRM can have a big impact on sales and profits by ensuring full capture of willingness to pay, maximizing promotion ROI, incentivizing beneficial trade terms, prioritizing appropriate channel presence, and capturing all relevant customer purchase occasions. Goodman offers his top tips for small NRM hygiene factors that can make a big difference.

With online now accounting for 60% of RB's consumer health sales in China, the UK-based company is applying lessons learnt about e-commerce in the Far-East on a global scale. Through its new consumer health e-commerce organisation, e-RB, the firm is prioritizing online growth and seeking to build a leadership position ahead of its peers. 

Assessing how closely GSK's OTC brands including Panadol compete with Pfizer's Robitussin and other OTC brands is the aim of investigation by Australia's Competition and Consumer Commission into the pharma giants' proposed consumer health joint venture. ACCC states particular interest in importance of Panadol, Voltaren and Advil brands, and whether GSK and Pfizer compete closely in supply of pain relief, gastrointestinal and cold and flu relief products.