Q1 2021 Results: CCA Round-up

Five of the Top 6 global CHC marketers have now reported their Q1 2021 results, and the clear common theme is a difficult start to the year as a result of the downturn in cough, cold & allergy sales. Global No.1 GSK reported that Consumer Healthcare sales were down 9% as a direct result of the year-on-year “pantry-loading” comparison, including accelerated purchases across all categories driven by the pandemic, combined with a historically weak cold & flu season. GSK’s Respiratory Health portfolio was down 42% in Q1, with Theraflu and Robitussin declining in double-digits, and Contac hit by a high single-digit fall, all adversely impacted by a lower cold & flu season.

Global No.2 J&J reported that Consumer Health worldwide operational sales were down 2.9%, primarily driven by negative prior-year comparisons related to Covid pantry loading in Q1 2020, mainly in OTC products, which declined by 14.8% in Q1 2021 as a result of lower cough, cold & flu incidences. This was partially offset by growth in Listerine mouthwash, Johnson’s baby care products, international skin health / beauty products and Nicorette sales outside the USA.

Sanofi’s Consumer Healthcare sales decreased by 7.3% in Q1 2021, primarily reflecting the weak cough / cold season, as well as a high base for comparison in Q1 2020 and divestments of non-core products. Allergy fell by 6.2%, while Cough & Cold sales were down 59.4% in Q1 2021. This heavy decline was offset by gains for Digestive Wellness (+14.6%), Physical Wellness and Mental Wellness (+18.8%) products. In USA and Rest of the World, growth of the Digestive and Mental Wellness categories partially offset lower Cough / Cold and Pain sales, but in Europe CHC sales fell by 19.3% in Q1.

Reckitt Q1 2021 net revenue was up 4.1% (like-for-like), and e-Commerce was +24%, accounting for 13% of total net revenue, driven by increased investment. Health fell 13.0%, reflecting a volume decline of 14.2% and price / mix improvements of 1.2%, as overall price growth was offset by relatively higher trade investment in North America. The OTC portfolio fell by just under 40%; in addition to challenging comparatives owing to significant pantry-loading in March 2020, this reflects an exceptionally weak cough, cold & flu season – estimated to be around 90% lower than the prior year – resulting in declines for Strepsils, Nurofen and Mucinex.

P&G’s Health Care organic sales were up 3% in Q1 2021, while Personal Health Care organic sales fell by mid-single digits, primarily owing to pandemic-related increases in consumer and retailer inventories in the base period and a weaker than average cough, cold & flu season. Representing 14% of global sales, e-Commerce sales increased by around 50% fiscal year-to-date, with no noticeable change in shopping trends in the quarter. CFO Andre Schulten said in an earnings call that a portion of the impact of commodity cost challenges in the next fiscal year would be offset with price increases in the baby care, feminine care and adult incontinence businesses, which will go into effect in mid-September 2021.

Celine Waller VP, DB6 comments: The poor CHC results reported were set against a robust performance in Q1 2020 when consumers were stockpiling ahead of lockdown restrictions (J&J’s OTC business increased operationally by 25.8% in Q1 2020!) and we expect that they will improve as the year goes on. However, 2021 is expected to be affected by a very weak cough / cold season as lockdowns (still in effect in many markets), social distancing, hygiene measures and mask-wearing continue to suppress incidence of respiratory illnesses, while there are some doubts about whether the high consumption levels of disinfectants and immune-boosting supplements can be sustained. As such, we have lowered our expectations of CHC growth in 2021 to 2.3% in the retail market. However, as highlighted in the P&G results, the 2020 boom in e-Commerce sales is continuing into the current year and we forecast that combined CHC sales in all channels will come out at a respectable 4.0% in 2021.

We are pleased to announce that our annual bestselling report, Nicholas Hall’s CHC Yearbook 2021, is now published digitally! You can analyse key players’ performance, hot topics, global retailing, the Top 15 markets and much more! Print copies will follow soon. For more information, or to order your copy, please contact melissa.lee@NicholasHall.com.

WHO highlights shortage of innovative antibiotics

The world is still failing to develop desperately-needed antibacterial treatments, despite the urgent threat of antibiotic resistance, according to a World Health Organisation report. None of the 43 antibiotics in clinical development sufficiently address drug resistance in the most dangerous bacteria. The majority offer limited clinical benefit over existing treatments, while 82% of recently-approved antibiotics are derivatives of older products with well-established drug-resistance.

WHO highlights 27 non-traditional antibacterial agents, ranging from antibodies to bacteriophages, and therapies that support the patient’s immune response and weaken the bacteria’s effect. However, while there are some promising products in development, only a fraction will make it to the market, owing to economic and scientific challenges. The low return on investment from successful products has limited the interest of major private investors and most large pharma players, and the small to medium-sized companies driving the pipeline often struggle to finance their products through to regulatory approval. 

_{Source: World Health Organization}

Nicholas Hall Writes: “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water (to quote the movie “Jaws”), the World Health Organisation reminds us that there could be more and worse to come. The worldwide pharma industry has responded magnificently to Covid, and if a fraction of that effort went into the search for new antibiotics, we could perhaps avoid the next and possibly much worse pandemic, when superbugs attack mankind. I’m not referring to hacking from within the Dark Web, but bacteria for which existing antibiotics will be unable to cope! One medical expert has described this as making Covid look like a vicarage tea party!

To quote WHO: “Opportunities emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic must be seized to bring to the forefront the needs for sustainable investments in R&D of new and effective antibiotics … We need a global sustained effort including mechanisms for pooled funding and new and additional investments to meet the magnitude of the AMR (antimicrobial resistance) threat.” So I hope that Big Pharma will recycle the windfall from Covid vaccines into new antibiotic research, otherwise we will have many more years of lockdown!”

Immunity will be the focus of our next round of regional hot topic webinars, starting with a focus on Asia-Pacific on 19 May, followed by the Americas on 23 June and Europe on 21 July. Please contact elizabeth.bernos@NicholasHall.com to find out more about these upcoming sessions.

Rx-to-OTC switch round-up

Following our recent blogs on Sanofi’s plans to switch erectile dysfunction treatment Cialis and flu antiviral Tamiflu to OTC status in the USA within the next three years, and the UK MHRA announcement it has launched a public consultation on the reclassification of two progestogen-only contraceptive pills containing desogestrel, here we round up other recent OTC switch developments from around the world (Japan, Russia, China and Argentina).

In Japan, a panel under the Ministry of Health, Labour & Welfare’s Pharmaceutical Affairs & Food Sanitation Council has approved the switch from Rx to OTC (Instruction-Required Drugs with 3-year post-marketing surveillance period) of the following products:

• Kobayashi’s Ira-Kuna contains itopride hydrochloride for the treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g. bloating and heartburn)
• BUP-4 Lady Yuli-less (Taiho / Otsuka) formulated with propiverine hydrochloride 10mg (half the dosage of Rx versions) for urinary problems caused by overactive bladder
• Nasivin Medi an oxymetazoline hydrochloride + chlorphenamine maleate nasal spray for rhinitis. Sato launched Japan’s first OTC oxymetazoline nasal spray, Nasivin M Spray, in April 2011 (then a Merck-owned brand, now P&G)

The Rx-to OTC switches of itopride hydrochloride and propiverine hydrochloride were approved in 2018, but this is the first time that products containing these ingredients have been approved for OTC sale.

^{Source: CHC New Products Tracker}

In China, the NMPA has approved the Rx-to-OTC switch of miconazole nitrate 0.1g tablets for vaginal use. Relevant marketers must provide revised package inserts to health authorities by 1st December 2021. Companies that market this formulation Rx include China Resources Double Crane and Yun Shin Pharm.

In Russia, Janssen (J&J), Bayer and RB are among the companies behind the creation of the Association of Healthcare Product Manufacturers, which is designed to promote responsible self-medication in Russia and form an adequate regulatory framework regarding the availability of OTCs, medical devices and supplements. This includes shortening the registration time for well-established ingredients with proven safety and efficacy, and creating clear criteria for Rx-to-OTC switch activity.

And finally, in Argentina, Elea has extended women’s health brand Eva with EvaCare Gyno capsules (fluconazole 150mg) – Argentina’s first OTC oral VYI treatment. A TV A+P campaign highlights its convenient format – “1 capsule, 1 dose, 1 day” – for treating the symptoms of vaginal candidiasis. The product will compete with clotrimazole-based Empecid Gyno (Bayer; GynoCanesten globally) and Lomecan V (Genomma) creams and vaginal ovules.

Review case studies of successful Switches in our forthcoming report from Nicholas Hall’s CIMA team, written in association with switch expert Joe McGovern of Biograph Inc. Pre-order your copy of Rx-to-OTC Switch: A Hot Topic Report before 31st March to save with our pre-publication discount! For more information, or to purchase your copy, please contact melissa.lee@NicholasHall.com.

CBD industry revving up again in 2021

2020 was a tough year for the CBD industry, with Covid causing disruptions to supply chains as well as lower footfall in bricks & mortar retailers, and these setbacks were reflected in greater hesitancy from CBD marketers in terms of NPD activity – according to our CHC New Products Tracker service – with launch activity in 2020 much lower compared to 2019. However, recent regulatory developments in Australia and Mexico, and the uptick in M&A activity in the CBD industry over recent weeks, suggest 2021 will see a revival in NPD activity and sales.

For example, Curaleaf, a leading US provider of consumer cannabis products, last week signed a definitive agreement to acquire EMMAC, the largest vertically-integrated independent cannabis company in Europe, for around US$286mn. Curaleaf Executive Chairman, Boris Jordan, commented: “[This acquisition] provides an advanced base to reach scale within the nascent European cannabis market and transform Curaleaf into a truly international cannabis consumer packaged goods company. The consumer and political liberalisation trends around cannabis that are sweeping USA are also increasingly taking hold in Europe … The European cannabis market has the potential to exceed the US cannabis market over the long-term and will help fuel our growth for years to come.”

In addition, a wholly-owned subsidiary of British American Tobacco last week subscribed for around 58.3mn common shares – a 19.9% equity interest – of Organigram, a leading licensed cannabis producer, for C$221mn (US$176mn). The companies have also entered into a Product Development Collaboration Agreement, under which a Centre of Excellence will be established to focus on developing the next generation of cannabis products, with an initial focus on CBD. “The cannabis industry is still in the nascent stages of product development. We believe that product innovation backed by core fundamental R&D is necessary to establish a long-term competitive advantage in the cannabis industry,” said Organigram Chief Strategic Officer Paolo De Luca.

Another M&A CBD development from last week was MediPharm, a research-driven global leader in cannabis extraction, entering into a GMP white-label supply and contract manufacturing agreement with Cannim. The company has also commenced registrations for the launch of next-generation OTC products in Australia in 2021. Under the 3-year agreement, with options to extend, MediPharm will supply a full range of specially-formulated CBD and THC cannabis oil products, sold initially under Cannim’s Lumir brand. MediPharm will also provide Cannim with contract manufacturing options.

Finally, a bill that would legalise the recreational use of cannabis was approved in Mexico’s lower house of Congress last week and will move to the Senate for final approval. The legislation would enable users aged 18+ years with a permit to carry up to 28g of cannabis and grow up to eight plants at home for personal use. President Andres Manuel Lopez has argued that the bill could help to curb Mexico’s violent and powerful drug cartels. John Walsh, Director of Drug Policy for the Washington Office on Latin America, a US advocacy group, said: “Mexico, given its size and its worldwide reputation for being damaged by the drug war, to take this step is enormously significant. North America is heading towards legalisation.” Canada and Uruguay are the only countries in the world to have legalised cannabis for recreational use. With its liberal switch environment, Mexico could be an early adopter of OTC cannabis, possibly the second or third market after Australia.

Discover who the main CBD players are, and how big the market could get in our recent report, CBD 2020: The 20 Most Important Questions about CBD in the Future of CHC. To find out more, or to order your copy, please contact melissa.lee@NicholasHall.com.

RB sales +11.8% in 2020; Biofreeze in, Scholl out

RB recorded its highest-ever sales increase in 2020, with net revenue up 11.8% on a like-for-like basis to £14bn (US$20bn). Health grew by 12.1% to £4.9bn (US$6.9bn), while Hygiene sales had an even better year (+19.5%) in 2020 and Nutrition sales were flat. E-Commerce sales grew by a record +56% in 2020 and now account for around 12% of group net revenue.

In Q4 2020, total RB net revenue was £3.6bn (US$5.1bn), +10.2%. Health grew by 2.8% to £1.2bn (US$1.7bn), with strong growth for Dettol, Durex and Gaviscon partially offset by the expected impact of the weak cough, cold & flu season, which resulted in the OTC portfolio being down just over 20% in the quarter. Hygiene (+25.7%) was even more the main growth driver for RB in Q4, while Nutrition sales were 3.5% lower, with excellent growth for Airborne and Neuriva offset by lower sales for Infant & Child Nutrition products in Greater China; a strategic review of the infant formula business in China, which represents 6% of group revenue, is underway. E-Commerce sales were up 50% in Q4, accounting for around 13% of total group revenue.

At the same time, RB announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Biofreeze brand from US-based Performance Health (Madison Dearborn Partners). Financial terms were not disclosed. In USA, Biofreeze is the No.1 clinically-recommended topical pain relief brand and has delivered robust double-digit sales growth. “We see compelling opportunities to develop the topical pain relief category globally with Biofreeze and other RB pain management brands including Nurofen, Moov and Tempra,” said RB CEO Laxman Narasimhan. “The brand taps into the growing global trend for wellness and self-care and aligns with our strategy to build our US Health footprint into new spaces and places.” The deal is expected to close in Q2 2021.

In addition, US-based private equity group Yellow Wood Partners has agreed to acquire RB’s Scholl foot care brand, which operates globally outside of the Americas, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition will reunite Scholl with the Dr Scholl’s brand – operated by Yellow Wood as a standalone company since its acquisition from Bayer in 2019 – as one entity after more than 30 years of separate ownership. The combined company, which generates annual retail sales in excess of US$700mn, with leading market shares in the global foot care category, will operate in 50+ countries. The deal is expected to be completed by Q3 2021.

Now is your final chance to register for our webinar on 3 March focusing on Mental Wellness across the Americas — join Nicholas Hall and Jennifer Cooper to explore the Sleep, Memory & Mood markets. For more information, or to take a look at the full schedule of webinars for 2021, please contact elizabeth.bernos@NicholasHall.com.

Sexual health OTC revolution

Building on the news covered in last week’s blog that Sanofi is planning to implement the US Rx-to-OTC switch of erectile dysfunction treatment Cialis by end-2024, this week we look at another major development in the OTC sexual health & fertility category – the announcement by the UK’s MHRA that it has launched a public consultation on the reclassification of two progestogen-only contraceptive pills containing desogestrel, marking the first time the agency has considered such a change.

MHRA is asking the public and stakeholders for their views on whether two continuous-use oral contraceptives – HRA Pharma’s Hana and Maxwellia’s Lovima, both as 75mcg film-coated tablets in 28-count packs – should become pharmacy medicines and available OTC, without a medical prescription (although, in parallel, desogestrel 75mcg will also remain available on prescription, with women potentially able to switch between prescription or pharmacy supply at different times). The agency notes that if the products are reclassified, pharmacists will have access to training materials and a checklist to help them to identify women who can receive the two medicines safely. Two separate consultations are open until 5th March (Hana link; Lovima link).

Following the switch of Adamed’s Maxon Forte (sildenafil 50mg) in Poland in early 2020, the rollout of OTC Viagra (Viatris) to Norway and Ireland in 2020, plus the EU centralised Rx-to-OTC switch of Fortacin (Recordati for Plethora Solutions) for premature ejaculation – formulated with lidocaine 150mg + prilocaine 50mg – in September 2020, the past year has seen a rapid expansion in the availability of OTC sexual health & fertility medicines. With OTC ED on the near horizon in the US market, the UK approval of the daily contraceptive pill as an OTC medicine could lead to a wave of similar approvals worldwide, and inject substantial growth into the global CHC market over the coming years.

CHC.NewDirections Consulting Editor, Nina Stimson adds: This really is an exciting proposal – not only a first for the UK, but also the first significant bid to offer oral contraceptives without prescription outside the Asia Pacific region – China and South East Asian markets lead the way, although sales in most markets are relatively small. If the proposal is approved, will UK pharmacists actively support the switch and help build OTC supply (and will the pharmacy protocol be sufficiently user-friendly not to push women back to the doctor)? And will any price differential between Rx or OTC supply be a factor? Not all ambitious switches in the UK have succeeded in the past, but we have high hopes for this one. Time will tell …

You can save up to GB£1,350 when you pre-order our forthcoming report from CHC New Products Tracker, Innovation in CHC: 2020’s NPD & Launch activity under the spotlight before 31st March! As well as looking in more depth at the latest OTC sexual health & fertility developments, the report also showcases the top 100 innovations in 2020 and features major ingredient trends, delivery format trends and much more. For more information, or to pre-order your copy, please contact melissa.lee@NicholasHall.com.

Sanofi CHC on track to be standalone unit by end-2022

At Sanofi’s Capital Markets Day 2021, the company’s Head of Consumer Healthcare, Julie Van Ongevalle, shared her vision for the business: “With the ongoing implementation of our fully integrated standalone model, we look forward to being more agile and reducing the complexity of our portfolio to drive growth with our consumer-centric, data-driven marketing approach.” The aim is to divest around 150 brands (from the current 250) in the next two years to focus on “priority categories”, such as allergy, body pain, general pain and mental wellness – particularly sleep aids – via a “granular approach”.

Rx-to-OTC switch has already been a key factor in driving growth in one of Sanofi’s priority categories, allergy remedies, thanks to the successful global OTC rollout of Allegra (first available in the USA in 2011) and launch of Xyzal Allergy 24HR (USA, 2017). Josephine Fubara, Chief Science Officer at Sanofi CHC, noted that Sanofi continues to make progress in bringing two potential OTC switches to the market in the coming years, erectile dysfunction treatment Cialis and flu antiviral Tamiflu, presenting a blockbuster opportunity with a combined sales potential of €1bn in the US market alone.

_{Source: Sanofi Capital Markets Day 2021 presentation}

Sanofi also stated that it is on track with its plans to be a standalone CHC business by end-2022. The company said that the overall planning for the transition was complete, and that the majority of its standalone CHC legal entities would be operational by end-2021. Among the benefits that Sanofi believes this transition will bring include the agility to reignite its innovation engine and reduce time-to-market by around 20%.

Looking ahead, Sanofi is targeting above average market growth, driven by its focus on priority categories and Rx-to-OTC switch, with a view to becoming the best-in-market CHC performer by 2024-25. Supporting this objective will be a focus on consumer insights, an emphasis on e-Commerce and digital channels and the operational independence provided by Sanofi’s standalone model.

Save up to GB£1,350 when you pre-order our forthcoming report from CHC New Products Tracker, Innovation in CHC: 2020’s NPD & Launch activity under the spotlight before 31 March. The report showcases the Top 100 innovations in 2020 and features major ingredient trends, delivery format trends, and much more. For further details, or to pre-order your copy, please contact melissa.lee@NicholasHall.com.

Historically slow cough, cold & flu season

Now that four (P&G, J&J, GSK and Sanofi) of the world’s Top 6 consumer healthcare marketers have reported their latest quarterly results, two of the key takeaways are that 1) industry growth has proven very resilient in the face of the challenges posed by the pandemic, and 2) we are in the middle of an historically slow cough, cold & flu season in 2020-21, and CHC marketers with portfolios that skew heavily towards CCA products will continue to feel the impact of this trend on overall growth.

Figures from the WHO’s FluNet service show the quasi-total wipeout of flu at a global level. Despite some signs of very low levels of flu circulation in certain regions tracked by WHO, including Africa and the Western Pacific, the overall picture at a global level is stark, with an almost complete drop-off in global infections since Q1 2020. The data shown in the WHO chart below are provided remotely by National Influenza Centres (NICs) of the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) and other national influenza reference laboratories collaborating actively with GISRS, or are uploaded from WHO regional databases.

Source: FluNet (www.who.int/flunet), GISRS

This trend is backed up by recent reports at a country level too. According to data obtained by The Times newspaper, UK flu cases are down by 95%; in the second week of January – the peak of the season – the number of reported influenza-like illnesses was 1.1 per 100,000 people vs a 5-year average rate of 27. This reflects similar trends in many other countries, including USA. While a billion people typically get flu globally each year, “much less than a tenth” of that figure will do so, according to leading expert John McCauley. There are a number of theories for the decline; lockdown restrictions, social distancing and the wearing of masks, and an increased focus on good hygiene practices have helped to prevent Covid, but also reduce the spread of other contagious illnesses. A major fall in international travel has curbed infections, while there has also been a huge take-up of the influenza vaccine. Meanwhile, some experts believe the spread of Sars-CoV-2 may have raised immunity against other viruses.

Nicholas Hall said: “Before Covid, we thought we knew the dynamics of consumer healthcare very well. I’ve given endless presentations quoting the three practical drivers of demand: Switch, the Emerging Markets and very importantly Cold & Flu pandemics. It’s fair to say that, without Covid, we would by now be lamenting a year of poor CHC sales. The actuality is that, with the exception of Voltaren Arthritis Pain and Differin in USA, there have been no significant switches in the past 3-4 years. The Emerging Markets still deliver, of course, but not at the stellar levels of the recent past; and we would by now be reading of the low impact on sales of the cough, cold & flu season.”

Explore the impact of lockdown on cases of cold & flu, and what the implications may be for CHC medicines, in our recently published Cough, Cold & Allergy report. For more information, or to order your copy, please contact melissa.lee@NicholasHall.com.

IRI: Top Product Claims, Retail Trends

New research by IRI points to some of the consumer retail trends that have emerged in the US market in the past year as a result of Covid. Looking at the entire CPG (consumer packaged goods) market in the USA, IRI’s recently published Leader Board report for 2020 highlighted some key trends, including consumers of all income levels driving more growth of premium and super-premium products, with health and wellness and self-care products experiencing higher demand. Among the fastest-growing categories in 2020, IRI listed home health care / kits (+172%), personal thermometers (+127%) and sleeping remedies (+28%).

The report also lists some of the marketers and categories that benefited from the strong shift to e-Commerce, including Vi-Jon (marketer of hand sanitiser Germ-X) and external analgesic rubs, as well as highlighting the leading product claims among both edible and non-edible consumer goods. As the chart below from the report indicates, “more vitamin C” was one of the fastest-growing claims in terms of sales (+24%) in the edible sector, while hemp seed oil (+110%), aromatherapy (+37%) and sleep health (+34%) were all in the Top 10 non-edible product claims in 2020.

_{Copyright: 2021 Information Resources Inc. (IRI).}

Further IRI research found that small and extra-small CPG manufacturers’ and retailers’ own brands gained US market share vs larger players during 2020. Of the CPG industry’s US$933bn sales in measured channels in 2020, large manufacturers lost 1.3 share points (US$12.1bn in sales) to smaller players, owing to channel and category shifts and supply constraints. The CPG industry grew 10.3%, with smaller manufacturers (annual measured channel sales <US$1bn) capturing nearly one-third of that and private label products accounting for roughly 18%. This resulted in smaller manufacturers and PL gaining 1.1 and 0.2 share points, respectively, from larger manufacturers (measured channel sales exceeding US$5.5bn annually), which have lost market share in each of the past five years, but still represent 46.7% of total US sales in measured channels.

Comment from President of Strategic Analytics for IRI, Dr Krishnakumar Davey: The consumer shift towards smaller manufacturers and PL products is something that IRI has been documenting for several years, and we saw the trend accelerate during the pandemic. Many large manufacturers were not able to meet the surge in demand in Q2 when they lost most share to smaller players, who seized on this opportunity. Several brands attracted a number of new buyers as in-home consumption surged. Large manufacturers fared relatively better in Q3, but still lost significant share. Q4 saw some improvement and reversion to historical trends. Many extra-small manufacturers are mostly new entrants to the market into supply-constrained categories (e.g. soap, hand sanitisers, home healthcare kits). Small manufacturers playing in high-demand categories such as hygiene, personal care and health & wellness saw high growth.

Nicholas Hall will be joined online by experts from GSK, J&J and Convert Group during our European e-Conference 2021. Taking place on 28 & 29 April, there are options for individual passes or corporate licences. Take the chance to keep up with what’s happening in consumer healthcare today by contacting elizabeth.bernos@NicholasHall.com to reserve your space.

Innovation: CES 2021 Health & Wellness Roundup

As our infographic this week indicates, health & wellness led the way in terms of high-quality innovation at this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show). Here, we highlight some of the new health & wellness products that were rewarded by judges for the key criteria of excellence in engineering, aesthetics and design, uniqueness, and the innovation they bring to the consumer market.

The winner of the Best of Innovation award in the health & wellness category was Epsy Health, a leading digital health platform for the management of epilepsy that “empowers patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals”. The Epsy app is free to download on both Apple and Android platforms, currently in the USA only, and helps in managing epilepsy by “creating a data rich diary to track seizures, medication compliance and triggers”.

The other level of recognition in each CES category is “Honorees”, i.e. products that score above the threshold in terms of innovation criteria for any given category, and there were several digital healthcare tools here, including Algocare, an IoT (Internet of Things) solution that provides personalised nutrition management at home and at work. Algocare Labs, based in South Korea, claims that the health questionnaires on the Algocare app and its unique algorithm, which analyses thousands of scientific journals, combine to deliver a tailored VMS mix to be dispensed via Algocare’s innovative device. Another CES Honoree was Oova, a high-tech home diagnostic fertility test, which measures luteinising hormone and progesterone in the urine, thanks to its cutting-edge test pads and supporting smartphone app.

Other notable consumer health & wellness innovations at CES 2021 included Flō, a handheld device for managing allergic rhinitis (or hayfever). When placed in the nose and activated, the company says the product projects lights to trigger reactions in the body which limit uncomfortable allergy symptoms. Marketer Fluo Health said it is seeking OTC approval from the FDA, and expects the device to be available to consumers later this year. Another medical device of note was Temp Pal, a smart thermometer from Taiwan-based iWEECARE, which is designed to be placed under the armpit of small children and transmits its readings wirelessly for remote monitoring – according to the company, it measures a child’s temperature within an accuracy of 0.05 degrees Celsius.

Explore the latest cutting-edge consumer healthcare devices, as well as major delivery format and ingredient trends, in our upcoming report from Nicholas Hall’s CHC New Products Tracker, Innovation in CHC: 2020’s NPD & Launch activity under the spotlight! Pre-order your copy before 31 March to save with a generous pre-publication discount. To find out more, please contact melissa.lee@NicholasHall.com.