CRN’s request for clarification, as it continues litigating complaint in US District Court for Southern New York, highlights what it contends is vague and overly general language in the legislation passed in October with a 22 April effective date.

CA, MA and NJ legislatures remain in session with bills active proposing regulations similar to NY law effective 22 April requiring retailers, including online, to ask for proof of age when customers buying consumer health products containing ingredients labeled or promoted for weight loss and bodybuilding benefits appear younger than 18.

Federal judge finds “misreading of the legislation” in CRN’s argument that state “restricts access based purely on what has been said about the product or its ingredients.” But standing to challenge “means that only CRN is positioned right now to go before the court on behalf of industry,” says CEO Steve Mister.

Southern New York district judge rejects CRN’s arguments to block regulation from taking effect, but agrees with trade group and its members that they have standing to challenge the regulation. CRN complaint challenging law will continue in the district court.

Decisions by “big three” PBMs suggest they’re taking proactive steps to comply with potential HRSA rulemaking to require most health plans, under Affordable Care Act regulations, to cover Opill and other types of OTC birth control without cost sharing.

There’s no simple answer to the question of how to make medicines packaging sustainable, says international recycling consultancy and Veolia Group subsidiary Circpack. “Manufacturers need to assess what works best for them, and recyclers will do the same,” Circpack analyst and circular packaging expert Filipe Vieira de Castro tells HBW Insight in this exclusive Q&A. “The best thing we can all do is put effort into finding common ground between systems, which comes down to better understanding the complexities between them.”

Futura recorded its first notable revenues last year, generated by the launch of its Eroxon erectile dysfunction gel in the UK and Europe, marking the company's transition from an R&D startup to a consumer healthcare player in its own right. To mark the occasion, CEO James Barder outlines a new strategy, with a focus on innovation in sexual wellness, further global partnerships and sustained profitability. 

In a deal worth around $600m, Rohto Pharmaceutical is poised to expand its dietary supplements offering in Southeast Asia through the acquisition of a controlling stake in Singapore's Eu Yan Sang.

Sweden's Karo has struck its second deal in six months bringing in the Proctosedyl hemorrhoid brand from Bayer.

Sanofi CHC sales up 9% in Q1 driven by addition of US healthy aging supplement brand Qunol. Separately, the Paris-based firm has reached an agreement in principle to resolve the vast majority of Zantac personal injury state court cases in the US.

At-home fertility-related hormone test developer Proov sells equity stake to entertainers and expectant parents Ashanti and Nelly; sexual and vaginal health product firm Good Clean Love moves from its founder as leader to a consumer health industry executive.

R&D investments behind consumer health brands such as Nurofen and Durex pay off for Reckitt in Q1 as it sees volume growth across majority of portfolio.

Sanofi CHC sales up 9% in Q1 driven by addition of US healthy aging supplement brand Qunol. Separately, the Paris-based firm has reached an agreement in principle to resolve the vast majority of Zantac personal injury state court cases in the US.

R&D investments behind consumer health brands such as Nurofen and Durex pay off for Reckitt in Q1 as it sees volume growth across majority of portfolio.

Italy's Recordati saw its OTC sales grow by 10% in 2023 driven by the recovery of the cough & cold market and a growing demand for probiotics.

Benzoyl peroxide-based acne drug products and their alleged proclivity to become contaminated with carcinogenic benzene are at the center of putative class actions filing against L’Oreal in federal courts around the US.

J&J, Target and Walgreens face class action complaints in California federal courts for economic harms caused by their sale of benzoyl peroxide-containing acne treatments, following Valisure’s 5 March citizen petition to the US FDA on findings of high levels of benzene in such products.

Habitually noncompliant companies are laughing at FDA, Peter Barton Hutt says.

UK switch specialist Maxwellia delivers two “me too” reclassifications in the area of women's health: Evana Heavy Period Relief and Ultravana Period Pain Relief. 

A “great consumer response” to TheraTears in the UK leads Prestige Consumer Healthcare to add TheraTears 5-in-1 Irritation and Redness eye drops to the range.

Virus-blocking compound Carragelose, out-licensed to major consumer health players such as Perrigo and Reckitt for use in OTC respiratory nasal sprays, is being adapted for use in the dry eye and allergy categories.

UK switch specialist Maxwellia delivers two “me too” reclassifications in the area of women's health: Evana Heavy Period Relief and Ultravana Period Pain Relief. 

“Consumers are rewriting the rules when it comes to where they are going for information and the type of information they are looking for,” reports Kaizo’s Anita Nahal, speaking to HBW Insight’s Over the Counter podcast about the agency’s latest Communicating Health Messages report. Trust in social media has increased, and personal beliefs and lived experiences are playing a larger role in shaping attitudes to health information, explains Nahal, who is director at the London-based PR agency. However, consumers are also continuing to “tune-out” from health messages and be less critical of sources. To help consumers navigate this new reality, consumer health companies need to adapt, rethink and reset their communication strategies, Nahal advises.

A “great consumer response” to TheraTears in the UK leads Prestige Consumer Healthcare to add TheraTears 5-in-1 Irritation and Redness eye drops to the range.

Exclusion from procurement processes, confiscation of revenues, and a fine of at least 4% of annual turnover are some of the penalties the European Parliament is considering for greenwashing as part of its position on the EU Green Claims Directive. 

Some advertisers try to avoid scrutiny of regulators and the National Advertising Division when making health-related claims by making a claim “softer.” Annie Ugurlayan, NAD’s assistant director, offers advice on assuring substantiation and a health claim match.

ADHD-management software Happyo falls foul of UK advertising rules in a recent ASA case. The lesson: if in the UK the intended use of a digital health app is the diagnosis of a serious medical condition, supervision by a healthcare professional such as a doctor is likely to be necessary, in which case advertising to the public would also be prohibited.