SELF-CARE

Here come new products for cough, cold, and flu season

With the cough, cold, and flu season right around the corner, many pharmaceutical manufacturers are releasing new OTCs for these conditions. Here's a sampling of what consumers will find on store shelves:

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) is unwrapping Comtrex Deep Chest Cold, a liquid gel caplet intended to alleviate a variety of symptoms, including congestion, sore throat, headache, fever, stuffy nose, body aches, and pain. The product contains acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, guaifenesin, and pseudoephedrine HCl.

Another new entry from BMS is Comtrex Flu Therapy. The box contains 18 coated capsules for daytime and six tablets for nighttime relief. Both formulas contain acetaminophen as well as pseudoephedrine HCl, a nasal decongestant. The nighttime product contains chlorpheniramine maleate, an antihistamine.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare is launching three Children's Motrin Non-Staining Dye-Free liquid analgesics. Infant's Motrin Non-Staining Dye-Free Concentrated Drops are available in a 1-oz. size. The suggested retail price is $7.49 to $8.49. The second product is Children's Motrin Non-Staining Dye-Free Suspension for pain and fever reduction. The suggested retail price for 4 oz. is $5.49 to $6.29. The third formula is Children's Motrin Non-Staining Dye-Free Cold Suspension, which contains pseu-doephedrine for stuffy noses. The suggested retail price for 4 oz. is $5.49 to $5.99.

Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, is unveiling Vicks NyQuil Cough in cherry flavor. The company's Web site states, "Unlike those cough medicines you have to take every four hours, new NyQuil Cough is made to last all night. It's specially formulated for nighttime coughs to help you sleep all night." Ingredients include dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant, and doxylamine succinate, an antihistamine. The product is recommended for patients aged 12 and over.

Whitehall-Robins, Madison, N.J., is rolling out two new products. Robitussin Sunny Orange Vitamin C Supplement Drops are designed to prevent colds and shorten their duration and to calm coughs and sore throats. The product contains 60 mg of Centrum Vitamin C per drop and 5% real orange juice. The suggested retail price is $1.59 for a 25-count bag.

The company is also debuting Robitussin Flu, a product indicated for relief of symptoms associated with cold or flu, hay fever, or other respiratory allergies, including headache; cough; runny nose; nasal congestion; muscular aches; sneezing; sore throat; fever; minor aches and pains; itchy, watery eyes; and itching of the nose or throat. The alcohol-free liquid is available in mixed berry flavor in a 4-oz. bottle and is recommended for patients six years and over. The product contains chlorpheniramine, dextromethorphan, pseudoephedrine and acetaminophen. The suggested retail price is $4.89.

Pharmavite, Northridge, Calif., is launching Remdex Head & Chest Formula, a product intended to promote upper respiratory health and wellness. Remdex contains Andropan, a 4% standardized extract of the plant Andrographis paniculata. Remdex is available in 20-tablet bottles for a suggested retail price of $6.49. The recommended dosage is four tablets daily, taken with water.

Tom's of Maine, Kennebunk, Maine, is bringing out a children's and adult formula of Natural Bronchial Syrup. The adult version contains thyme, horehound, marshmallow, yerba santa, cherry, and honey. Tom's Natural Bronchial Syrup for children contains thyme, pine, licorice, marshmallow, and cherry. A 4-oz. bottle carries a suggested retail price of $8.99.

The firm is also introducing four Natural Nasal Decongestants—a daytime and nighttime formula for adults and a daytime and nighttime formula for children. Both products contain pseudoephedrine. The daytime formulas contain echinacea; the nighttime products contain valerian. The suggested retail price is $8.99 for 4 oz. The children's formula contains honey and cherry flavors and is not recommended for children under two.

Boericke & Tafel, Santa Rosa, Calif., is also putting a new product on store shelves: Echina-Spray with Echinacea, a homeopathic throat spray indicated for itchy throats, hoarseness, laryngitis, and difficulty swallowing. The product contains no artificial colors, flavors, or sugar. Cold & Flu Natural Relief Chewable with Zinc is another introduction. The medicine combines an antihistamine, nasal decongestant, fever reducer, and analgesic in a chewable orange tablet for the relief of sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, and chills, and to reduce fever.

Blistex, Oak Brook, Ill., is launching a product intended for hydrating and protecting lips, which are especially vulnerable to becoming chapped during the cold season. Blistex Fruit Smoothies are available in Berry Explosion, Melon Medley, and Triple Tropical. Fruit Smoothies contain vitamins A, B₅, and C. Offered in a package of three .10-oz. lip balms, Fruit Smoothies have a suggested retail price of $2.99 per package.

Sandra Levy

Sandra Levy. Here come new products for cough, cold, and flu season.

Drug Topics

2001;22:28.