Stores take steps to curb cold medicine abuse

With pseudoephedrine off the shelves, placed behind counters to curtail abuse, drug abusers seem to be looking toward other over-the-counter remedies.

Area pharmacists are watching the trend, and in some case, are taking steps to head them off.

Those medicines include Coricidin Cough and Cold, Robitussin, and Dimetapp DM and Vicks NyQuil LiquiCaps, which all contain the drug dextromethorphan. And when abused, they can result in a high.

Many Walgreens locations across the country have voluntarily placed Coricidin behind the pharmacy counter, Walgreens corporate spokeswoman Carol Hively said.

Other medicines were not removed because the company found they were not being abused like Coricidin, she said.

So now the medicine has been disappearing from store shelves accessible to shoppers and reappearing behind counters or glass containers manned by store employees.

Hively said people, many of them teenagers, would enter stores and purchase packages of the medicine and swallow most or all of its red tablets. The high is called “Skittling” after the tablets’ close resemblance to the candy Skittles. The product was moved behind the counter if local law enforcement felt it was a problem.

And at all Walgreens locations, no one younger than 18 can purchase the medicine.

Children as young at 14 have been taken to emergency rooms after overdosing on the medicine, Hively said.

In October, two 16-year-old girls were detained at the Brazoria County Juvenile Detention Center after one of them overdosed on the cold medicine.

One of the girls brought 16 pills into the detention center, which the other took. She was taken to Angleton Danbury Medical Center, where she was treated and released.

Brazoria County Sheriff Charles Wagner said the abuse of other over-the-counter drugs such as Coricidin is rising because of the tracking of pseudoephedrine. But the abuse is not an epidemic, he said.

“It’s nothing like the abuse of hard drugs,” he said. “But we are seeing more of it.”

Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office narcotics investigators are working with local law enforcement to curb over-the-counter drug abuse by trying to track who buys certain over-the-counter drugs — mostly pseudoephedrine — using log books kept at pharmacy counters, Wagner said.

“Everybody’s working on it,” he said.

In 2006, a federal law was passed requiring customers purchasing pseudoephedrine, which can be used to make methamphetamine, to sign a log book so retailers can track who is buying it, how much is being bought and how many times.

For Coricidin, Hively said it’s a store-by-store preference depending on local law enforcement.

“Some stores take it off the shelves and some don’t,” she said. “It depends on the area — if there are trends. It seems isolated, so I can’t say it’s a big problem. It’s sporadic.”

Locally at the Clute Walgreens, Coricidin can be found inside a locked glass case, a store employee said.

J.C. Jackson, a pharmacist who has been running the Alvin Medicine Man pharmacy for two years, said abuse of over-the-counter medicines purchased at his clinic is not common because they have been implementing a system much like Walgreens.

“There was a time when you could buy everything on the shelf,” said Jackson, a Seabrook resident. “But it has curtailed a whole lot.”

Jackson has implemented a log book customers must sign and provide their driver’s license number so the pharmacy can track purchases of items containing pseudoephedrine. And if anything strange arises, they offer the information in the log book to police. They do not track medicines with dextromethorphan.

Meghan Glynn, a spokeswoman for Kroger, said any decisions about product placement or removal are decided depending on the situation at hand. And the supermarket chain removes items following legal guidelines.

“It depends on a lot of factors,” she said of having items protected behind counters or glass. “It depends on the issue.”

Spokesmen at Wal-Mart and Target also said they only remove what federal guidelines say to remove.

Source: The Facts, 11/27/07

Targeting black Friday shoppers

Convenience is driving shoppers to online merchandisers and retailers that are typically located outside the mall.

"You drive up to a Kohl's, you do your shopping, you get back in your car and you're done," Davidowitz said. "You go to a mall and it's a huge pain in the a-- with the parking and everything. You can drive right up to Wal-Mart and do your shopping and leave. Drug stores are performing best in recent years. Who's more convenient than the drug store?"

Malls like Muncie's -- which is a regional center that draws shoppers from several counties -- are strong enough to attract other retailers. When Target relocated its Muncie store in 2003, it chose a spot across the parking lot from Muncie Mall. An out-of-town developer who recently built a strip center, including a Qdoba, near the mall told The Star Press that proximity to the mall was desirable.

Nance said the relative strength of Muncie Mall doesn't make Simon Property Group complacent, however. Mall stores will compete with big box stores by opening as early as 4 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving. For the first time, the mall will coordinate specials and coupons with mall tenants.

"We want to drive traffic in here early," Nance said. "Last year [opening early] was successful and this year we have more partners on board.

"We know people will be going to the Best Buys and Targets and Wal-Marts, and we're letting them know we have specials here."

Source: The Star Press, 11/18/07

The Claim: Zinc Can Help You Beat a Cold

As cold season gets under way, countless sneezing and sniffling Americans will turn to zinc as their treatment of choice.

But does it actually work?

More than 100 studies in the past two decades have examined the question. Some have found zinc to be effective, and have proposed various reasons. But many more have found little or no evidence that it works.

One of the most extensive studies appeared in the journal Clinical and Infectious Diseases in 2000. In it, scientists randomly assigned more than 500 people — about half with natural colds, and the other half deliberately infected — to receive placebo or zinc lozenges in various doses. After secluding the subjects in hotel rooms and examining them for five days, the researchers concluded that zinc gluconate lozenges produced “modest” benefit, while zinc acetate lozenges did nothing.

Another study, published this year by researchers at Stanford Medical School, collected and analyzed data from 14 previous placebo-controlled studies of zinc. Over all, the scientists determined, the effectiveness of zinc lozenges “has yet to be established,” while there was some slight evidence for zinc nasal gels.

For those who do insist on zinc, it is worth knowing that the studies that endorse it have found that it should be taken within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms to be most effective.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The research on zinc as a cold fighter is mixed.

Source: New York Times, 11/06/07

Natural, organic beauty

For Flavia Kawaja, an interior designer in Manhattan, a trip to the beauty department at Whole Foods Market comes not with a shopping list but with a mental list of what synthetic ingredients to avoid.

Ms. Kawaja won’t use antiperspirant made with aluminum derivatives, in case the urban legend that they could cause diseases like Alzheimer’s turns out to be true. She also steers clear of skin-care products with parabens, common antibacterial agents used as preservatives in some cosmetics, drugs and foods.

Although there have been no rigorous large-scale prospective clinical trials to show that parabens in cosmetics represent a risk to beauty consumers, a few studies have shown that exposure to parabens can cause reproductive changes in lab rodents.

By choosing cosmetics marketed as natural or organic, Ms. Kawaja errs on the side of caution. Even so, she admits that she’s unsure whether her careful choice of natural shampoos and sunscreens translates into health benefits.

“I don’t assume that organic automatically means good for you,” she said. “I mean, if you fry an organic potato, it’s still a French fry.”

Organic connoisseurs have long made a practice of reading food labels to weed out those grown with pesticides or that contain synthetic colors, flavors or preservatives. Now, in the wake of recent health scares over tainted pet food and toothpaste, some beauty mavens are seeking synthetic-free cosmetics in the belief that products made without industrial ingredients like petrochemicals ought to be healthier for you.

These newly minted label inspectors are fueling a boom in so-called natural and organic personal care products. Natural cosmetics market themselves as containing plant or mineral ingredients; organic products say they are made with agricultural ingredients grown without pesticides.

During the 12 months through Sept. 9, Americans spent $150 million on the top three mass-market natural personal care brands, including Burt’s Bees, Jason Natural Cosmetics and Tom’s of Maine, an increase of $51 million over the year before, according to Information Resources Inc., a market research firm. Meanwhile, sales of organic personal care items reached $350 million last year, an increase of $68 million over 2005, according to manufacturers’ data compiled by the Organic Trade Association, an industry group.

“We’re seeing an increased consciousness that what you put on your body is as important as what goes in your body,” said Jeremiah McElwee, the senior coordinator in charge of personal care at Whole Foods, which is the company’s fastest-growing department. “The biggest impetus for buying natural or organic body care is the perceived health benefit.”

It would seem logical to assume that common ingestible ingredients like olives or soy would naturally be healthier for the skin and body than hard-to-pronounce, multisyllabic industrial cosmetic ingredients like the preservative methylchloroisothiazolinone. But representatives for the government and the beauty industry, as well as some environmental activists, acknowledge that there is no published scientific proof to support the notion that plant-based cosmetics are safer, healthier or more effective for people.

“Consumers should not necessarily assume that an ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ ingredient or product would possess greater inherent safety than another chemically identical version of the same ingredient,” Dr. Linda M. Katz, the director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors, wrote in an e-mail message to this reporter. “In fact, ‘natural’ ingredients may be harder to preserve against microbial contamination and growth than synthetic raw materials.”

The confusion over the “truthiness” of the natural personal care market also stems from the lack of national standards.

The F.D.A., which regulates cosmetics, has never imposed standard definitions for marketing terms like natural and organic as they apply to grooming products, Dr. Katz said via e-mail. So manufacturers are free to use such terms on everything from a synthetic-based shampoo with one plant derivative to a synthetic-free face powder formulated with only minerals.

The agency requires manufacturers to ensure that cosmetics are safe for their intended use. But the agency leaves it up to manufacturers to decide which safety and efficacy tests to perform on ingredients and finished products.

John Bailey, the executive vice president for science of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, a trade group in Washington, said cosmetics are safe, whether their formulas contain synthetics or plants.

“On the most fundamental level, they are held to the same legal and regulatory standards,” said Dr. Bailey, who has a Ph.D. in chemistry.

But Jane Houlihan, the vice president for research of the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit group in Washington, said the lack of established federal standards is responsible for consumer confusion over whether natural products provide tangible advantages or are simply a sop to green mind-sets.

“Even if a beauty product claims it is purely from the earth, you need to read the ingredient label,” Ms. Houlihan said.

Ms. Houlihan said increased consumer interest in natural products is driving a few manufacturers to include exotic plants in formulas that lack an established track record in the beauty industry. For example, she said, her group could not find published safety data on newer cosmetic ingredients like West Indian rosewood bark oil and white peony flower extract.

“Just because an ingredient comes from a plant does not necessarily make it safe to use in a cosmetic,” Ms. Houlihan said. “Tobacco, hemlock and poison ivy are all examples of plants that can be hazardous.”

Indeed, some dermatologists said that even natural ingredients that seem benign can cause skin allergies. For example, Dr. David A. Kiken, a chief dermatology resident at the school of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, said he had seen skin irritation caused by tea tree oil, chamomile and green tea in cosmetics.

“Although the term natural botanical extracts inherently purports to have beneficial and benign properties, these extracts can cause adverse reactions in individuals,” Dr. Kiken wrote in a paper published in the American Journal of Contact Dermatitis.

In the absence of F.D.A. standards, dozens of beauty companies and stores are using words like botanical, herbal, natural, pure and organic to market brands, each using its own in-house definition.

For example, on www.sephora.com, the company distinguishes between botanical brands that use some plant ingredients; natural brands that eschew synthetic preservatives, colors and fragrances; and organic brands that employ some plant ingredients grown without pesticides.

Other brands style themselves as organic to signal ultimate wholesomeness. Even then, definitions vary widely. Some beauty companies simply employ organic in their brand names. Others promote certain ingredients that have been vetted by private companies that inspect organic foods.

A few brands — including Origins and Nature’s Gate — have even received certification for some products from the National Organic Program, the division of the Department of Agriculture whose logo appears on certified organic food products. Cosmetics are eligible to use such food seals if they contain at least 95 percent of certified organic ingredients that are agricultural products made from livestock or crops, grown and processed without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones and antibiotics.

But people should not interpret even the U.S.D.A. Organic seal — www.ams.usda.gov/nop/FactSheets/Backgrounder.html — on cosmetics as proof of health benefits or of efficacy, said Joan Shaffer, a department spokeswoman. Government-accredited certifiers simply vet the manner in which these food ingredients are grown and processed, just as they would for a jar of organic tomato sauce, she said.

“The National Organic Program is a marketing program, not a safety program,” Ms. Shaffer said, likening the department’s organic seal to its grading system for beef. “Steak may be graded prime, but that has no bearing on whether it is safe or nutritious to eat.”

Source: New York Times, 11/1/07

Fatal prescription errors becoming more common

When Chanda Givens found out she was pregnant, she did what most expectant mothers would do: She went out to fill her prescription for prenatal vitamins.

When she miscarried within a few weeks of taking the drug, Givens said it never occurred to her the prescription might be the cause. She later learned that instead of being given a prescription for Materna, a prenatal vitamin, she received one for Matulane, a chemotherapy drug used to treat Hodgkin's disease, according to a lawsuit filed this month in federal court.

The drug is intended to interfere with cell growth and DNA development, according to the lawsuit.

Givens said her prescription was filled at a Walgreens pharmacy near her suburban St. Louis, Missouri, home. Walgreens said it's reached a resolution with the family and declined further comment.

Every year in the United States, 30 million dispensing errors out of 3 billion prescriptions occur at outpatient pharmacies, according to the National Patient Safety Foundation. Some errors are minor. Some patients catch easily. But others can be serious.

"There's been a tremendous increase in fatal pharmacy errors over the past 20 years," said David Phillips, a sociology professor at the University of California-San Diego who has studied this issue. "And the increase is much bigger for outpatient pharmacies than for inpatient pharmacies."

Why the increase? Phillips said more health care is happening outside hospitals, putting more of a burden on outpatient pharmacists. Here, from Phillips and other experts, are ways to avoid becoming a victim:

* Don't get a prescription filled at the beginning of the month.

Phillips' research shows that in the first few days of each month fatalities due to medication errors rise by as much as 25 percent above normal. The reason: Social Security checks come at the beginning of the month.

"Quite a number of people can't afford to get their medicines until the Social Security check comes in, so at the beginning of the month they turn up in abnormally large numbers and swamp the pharmacists," Phillips said. "When pharmacists are busy, they make more mistakes."

Of course, it's not always possible to wait a week or two to get a prescription, but Phillips advises to do so if you can.

* Open the bottle at the pharmacy.

Mitch Rothholz, a spokesman for the American Pharmacists Association, said pharmacy errors aren't common, but that there are things patients can do to make sure the medicine inside a bottle is the right drug.

He said opening the bottle right at the pharmacy and showing the pills to the pharmacist is one safeguard. Another: If it looks different than the medicine you've taken before, or you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask the pharmacist.

* Don't be in a rush.

"When picking up drugs, patients want to get in and out quickly," said Hedy Cohen, a spokeswoman for the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. "We care if our food has butter or margarine on it. We really should be much more careful about the medications we put in our mouths."

Cohen said patients should take the time to get detailed instructions about how to take a drug. Errors happen not just when the wrong medicine is dispensed, but when the right medicine is taken at the wrong dosage.

Cohen added that pharmacies can take additional steps, too. For example, many drug names look alike.

Cohen suggests writing in capital letters the portions of drug names similar to other medications to make distinctions more clear and to prevent errors. Commonly confused drugs

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices has suggestions for making abbreviations clearer, too. For example, when a doctor writes "q.o.d." on a prescription, that means the pharmacist should instruct the patient to take the medicine every other day. That abbreviation could be mistaken for "q.d.", which means daily. The solution: Physicians should write out "every day" or "every other day."

Source: CNN, 10/25/07

Ahead of the Bell: Cold medicine makers

One week after the nation's largest over-the-counter drug makers pulled cold medicines designed for infants off the market, companies will make the case Thursday that the treatments are safe and effective for toddlers.

The Food and Drug Administration will ask a panel of outside experts Thursday and Friday whether popular cold medicines are medically appropriate for young children. After a review of data, FDA scientists recently said the treatments should not be given to children under two because of the risk of accidental overdose. The agency will ask its advisers whether current labeling advising parents to "consult your physician" should be replaced with the instructions "do not use in children under two."

In response to the safety concerns, Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth and others withdrew products last week that target infants. However, public health advocates are expected to tell FDA that the companies haven't gone far enough.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, whose president will speak at the meeting, has said there is no evidence cold medicines are effective in children up to six years old -- and product labeling should state that. The pediatrics group and others also want FDA to prohibit companies from using images of toddlers to market their cold medications.

Scientists from Johnson & Johnson and other industry representatives are expected to argue that the treatments are effective in toddlers, while acknowledging that additional studies are needed to prove this.

FDA agreed to have its panel of experts review data on cold medicines at the request Baltimore city officials, who reported 900 Maryland children under four overdosed on the products in 2004.

FDA is not required to follow the recommendations of its panelists, though it usually does.

Source: Business Week, 10/18/07

FDA: Kids' Medicines NOT Recommended

They are widely available in drugstores across the country -- over-the-counter cold and cough remedies, with fruity flavors specifically marketed for kids.

But, there's a growing consensus that these medicines may not always be safe — and for young children, aren't worth the risks.

In a report released last week, safety experts within the Food and Drug Administration said they would recommend NO level of dosage for children under the age of two, "due to the lack of evidence of efficacy and safety concerns."

"There are a variety of problems that can occur, and there have been some deaths associated with cough and cold preparations," says Dr. Janet Serwint, who signed a petition, asking the FDA to warn parents about the dangers of these medicines.

Even more amazing, the industry itself — while insisting its medicines are safe — now agrees they should not be given to very young children.

"Parents should not use these products for children under 2," says Linda Suydam, president of the Consumers Healthcare Products Association.

Suydam says the real problem is "misuse" and "overdose." The labels on most boxes suggest that parents "consult with a doctor" about the appropriate dosage for children under the age of 2. The FDA review called that warning "confusing," and said it appeared to be contributing to "medication errors, which can result in fatal overdoses."

Overall, the review found 54 reported deaths from decongestants over the past four decades, most in children under the age of 2.

Experts say they believe the FDA may finally take action when it meets to discuss the matter next month.

Josslyn Goldner knows how dangerous over-the-counter medication can be. Her son, Max, wound up in the emergency room after he took the prescribed dose of a popular kids' medicine — one that isn't even under FDA review.

She says she has learned to be wary.

"I'm trying to be a little bit more selective and proactive, and not assume that companies that are in the business to make money, are going to actually be worrying so much about my child," Goldner says.

Source: ABC News, 9/30/07

Build up bones with one annual dose

What's Happening

* Women may soon have access to a once-a-year treatment for osteoporosis. Reclast, by Novartis, is in the final stages of study and close to FDA consideration as osteoporosis treatment (CBSNews.com 9.19.06).
* If approved, the treatment would consist of one annual, 15-minute infusion to strengthen bones. Current treatments for osteoporosis include weekly pills (Fosamax and Actonel) and monthly pills (Boniva). Boniva can aso be given as an intravenous infusion every three months.
* Reclast's active ingredient is zoledronic acid, a drug used to treat cancer-related bone problems.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

* Aging consumers are looking for convenient, easy and effective solutions that empower and fit into their active lifestyles.

Source: Iconoculture, 8/17/07

Partnership for Prescription Assistance cures confusion

What's Happening

* Patients who don’t have prescription coverage now have an ally. The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) was formed to raise awareness of patient assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who are eligible.
* The organization provides a single portal that can help patients sort through more than 475 public and private assistance programs and find the program that is right for them (PPARx.org 8.07).
* More than 4 million Americans have found help through PPA.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

* For patients who need assistance finding assistance, a single, authoritative source is a one-stop, helpful guide to navigating through today's complex healthcare system.
* Health insurance isn’t an option for everyone. But knowledge and access put confidence, power and control in the consumer’s hands.

Source: Iconoculture, 9/11/07

It's 'East meets West' at new chain Pharmaca

In an era when it seems a Rite-Aid, Walgreens or CVS is popping up on almost every other corner, something unusual happened in La Jolla last week: A new pharmacy opened, and people seemed excited about it.

“This is a great store. I expect to be sending many of my patients here,” chiropractor Michael Ackerman said during the grand opening Thursday of Pharmaca Integrated Pharmacy on Girard.

Ackerman, whose profession focuses increasingly on good nutrition in conjunction with spine health, said he visited a Pharmaca in Oregon and returned to San Diego raving about the store.

Walking through the door at Pharmaca, a whiff of botanicals and flattering lighting are the first indications that this is not the typical big-box pharmacy to which Americans have grown accustomed.

There are no pantyhose, DVDs or frozen food. Instead, there are smooth tan shelves fashioned from recycled wood products brimming with luxury-brand organic health and beauty products. The gray carpeting is made from recycled milk containers. The soothing paint colors on the wall are environmentally friendly.

A nutritionist, an herbalist and a homeopathic practitioner roam the floor, offering to help find the right organic skin care product to comfort sun-weary skin, an herbal supplement to ward off illness, or vitamins to compensate for those depleted by the prescription medicine customers come to get refilled.

In the back of the 4,500-square-foot store, pharmacist Chris Jeff Crutchfield wants to talk about prescriptions and how they might interact with herbs. Or he can inform which vitamins heart medications deplete and introduce the nutritionist, who can recommend the best vitamin products.

At least, that's the goal at Pharmaca, said Barry Perzow, founder and chief executive of the Boulder, Colo.-based chain.

“Pharmaca is trying to do something different, more of an East meets West kind of pharmacy,” he said. “It's a pharmacy that has been developed with prevention in mind, as opposed to just treating disease by filling prescriptions. We want to educate customers on how not to get sick.”

The La Jolla store's opening is the chain's 17th since it was founded six years ago. Perzow projected $75 million to $100 million in revenue for all stores combined this year.

Perzow, who has worked in retail for more than 25 years, previously started a chain of natural food stores called Capers, which were based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He “struggled and starved” in the 1980s, when few people were worrying about organic products. But his fortunes changed when an increasing number of consumers started to look for alternative foods and products that were not exposed to harmful chemicals.

Through the years, the health and beauty segment of the organic market became the fastest growing, Perzow said. He theorized that if those products sold so well in an understaffed supermarket business model, they might fare even better in an environment where trained and certified professionals such as nutritionists and homeopathic practitioners could help educate customers.

After Wild Oats bought his company, Perzow had time to pursue that idea.

His business model, he said, is based on the European pharmacy, where holistic medicine is primarily the focus of the storefront, and prescription medicine, a later option, is in the back.

“First of all the Europeans have a better health care. They're not as sick as Americans,” Perzow said. “But holistic and preventive medicine is their first choice, not prescription drugs.”

The nonprescription part of holistic health care is also a profit driver.

In traditional pharmacy models, the prescription business is 75 percent of revenue. But the profit margin on prescription drugs is low, at least for the pharmacy, because it's driven by third-party payers, Perzow said. These pharmacies do a good business by churning out a high volume of prescriptions, he said.

Meanwhile, in the front of the store, where pharmacies make 25 percent of their revenue, they sell lots of merchandise with a higher profit margin. And they offer the soda, chips, liquor, batteries and other merchandise to pull consumers into the store. A typical Walgreens has 25,000 to 30,000 items for sale.

Pharmaca sells only 12,000 items.

Under the Pharmaca business model, 60 percent of revenue is driven by the 6,000 to 8,000 pieces of merchandise in the front of the store, which demand a higher profit margin. For instance, there's a colorful display in La Jolla of $7-a-bar organic soap, infused with fragrant botanical oils and petals.

There are some mainstream products that are not all natural, such as Pantene and Dove shampoos and conditioners. But they are placed on the bottom shelf. Above them are the organic hair care lines such as ShiKai and Giovanni, and spa skin car lines such as Astara and Jurlique, to which the staff try to steer customers.

Of the 40 percent of the revenue generated by the pharmaceutical offerings in the back of the store, prescription compounding is 25 percent.

And Pharmaca markets that compounding as another feature that sets it apart from the large chain pharmacies. Compounding involves the pharmacist's custom making a drug, perhaps tweaking the dosage, or putting a drug in a topical solution rather than a capsule or liquid form.

“Forty years ago, compound was all there was,” Perzow said.

But very few large pharmacies have the space or time for compounding now, he said.

However, the public is starting to recognize that when it comes to drugs, one size does not fit all, he said. People come in different sizes and have different tolerance levels, food allergies and abilities to swallow pills. Compounding allows the pharmacist to work with the customer and his or her doctor to tailor a prescription – even if the medication is for someone's pet.

Tired, frustrated and bloody from trying to get a cat to swallow a pill? Pharmaca boasts that its pharmacist can work with the veterinarian to formulate a topical solution to administer to the inside of Fluffy's ear.

But the big and growing demand for compounding is fueled by the hormone replacement market, Perzow said.

Pharmaca is not alone in San Diego in looking to serve that market.

In Banker's Hill, University Compounding Pharmacy has a 20-year-old business providing compounding services and is considered one of the largest, if not the largest, in the state.

University Compounding Pharmacy deals with a network of more than 1,000 physicians, owner John Grasala said. Its work is heavy in the hormone replacement area, and the company's eight pharmacists also compound prescriptions of drugs that drug makers have discontinued, often because the mass market isn't large enough.

Grasala said he doesn't consider Pharmaca to be a major competitor, because it does not have his established network of physicians, who refer their patients to University.

Pharmaca thinks its competitive edge is its staffing.

“What's really important here is having extremely knowledgeable people on your sales floor,” said Pharmaca board member Tom Stemberg, of Highland Capital Partners in Boston.

“In many cases, the manufacturers of product lines sold in Pharmaca will not sell in other retail channels because they don't see the kind of professionalism they see at Pharmaca. It's the superior customer experience that gets the customers coming back again and again,” said Stemberg, who founded Staples.

Among the many customers milling about the store on its opening day was Renata Herbst, who lives and works in La Jolla.

“I like to be able to walk everywhere,” Herbst said as she surveyed the luxury skin-care lines and picked up the Dr. Hauschka brand face lotion. “This is a brand that I'm familiar with from Germany, where I'm from,” she said.

A few feet away, an aesthetician applied organic cosmetics to the face of a well-dressed middle-age woman.

Pharmaca is doing what it can to beef up male interest with a virility line of offerings. And special events that include educational workshops and product demonstrations and sampling aim to broaden the customer base, Perzow said.

Pharmaca carefully selects the geographic markets for its stores. The average income must be at least $100,000 and at least 50 percent of the population must have a college education.

Locations that Perzow has identified include Portland, Ore.; Seattle; Santa Fe, N.M.; Boulder, Colo.; and Los Angeles. Point Loma is on the chain's list of future San Diego sites, he said.

Pharmaca has had “consistent double-digit revenue growth in the last six years,” Perzow said. And new stores see 25 percent to 40 percent revenue growth annually, he said.

Privately owned, the company has reportedly attracted more than $70 million in investment, including $18 million from Highland Capital Partners. Perzow said his goal is 150 stores in five years.

Retail industry analyst George Whalin is skeptical about that goal.

“There's no question that natural and organics is a growing business that is quickly spreading across the country,” he said. “But 150 stores in five years? Whole Foods didn't get there.”

For investors and employees, who also get shares in the company, the ultimate goal is an initial public offering.

“I think all of us would like to think that someday we could be a big public company, but we've got a long way to go to get from here to there,” said Stemberg, managing general partner at Highland Capital Partners.

“We've got to build up our market presence in the markets throughout the western United States. . . . You really only get efficient and profitable once you get multiple stores in a marketplace.”

Source: Union-Tribune, 9/9/07

Natural sleep aid is no turkey

What's Happening

* It’s not just a dream. L-tryptophan, an essential amino often found in turkey and other poultry, has been making a comeback — in its bottled form, that is.
* After being banned in the early 90s for safety concerns, the pills are now commonly found in large health food stores or vitamin shops nationwide with brands promising the sleep-deprived that these goods that are “safe” and “pure.” Swanson Ultra takes an extra step, boasting they’ve got the only “ pharmaceutical-grade” product on the market (swansonvitamins.com).
* L-tryptophan is a natural supplement that works by altering serotonin levels in the brain. It’s used most commonly as a sleep aid. As a happy side effect, the serotonin adjustment also eases PMS symptoms, elevates mood and decreases appetite.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

* A little shuteye alone is not enough if it doesn’t come with peace of mind and security. Consumers expect brands to promise and deliver nothing less than the maximum in safety and quality, especially if there is a history of striking out once.

Source: Iconoculture, 8/31/07

Going Green

What's Happening
We're pretty sure you've heard: The sustainability movement is making waves. Call it environmentalism, eco-consciousness, going "green," whatever. The Earth-friendly phenomenon has exploded onto marketers' radars as green — or at least green awareness — has taken up residence in American consumers' day-to-day lives. Now, as the sustainability movement rapidly evolves, each generation is taking a different attitude toward green, with the values driving eco behavior varying greatly depending on if you're a high school senior or a senior 60 years out of school. Let's take a look at the values that drive each gen when it comes to green consumerism.
Millennials: The youngest generation takes an entitled view of green consumption — and that definitely isn't a bad thing. While other generations take Earth-first trade-offs in stride, Millennials continue to want it all. The generation believes that eco-consciousness is important, but they don't think they should have to sacrifice savvy or performance in order to score their green. And for Millennials, at least in the areas of fashion, home and food, a green sheen is often a prerequisite for something to be deemed stylish. Indie retailer nau, for instance, doesn't just offer cool clothes — its all-around low-impact, responsible positioning also gives off an aura of must-have cool.
Gen Xers: For Xers, now at a lifestage where time is at a premium because of personal, family, career and home concerns, only extra-practical eco-friendly options will fit into their frenetic lives. To-the-point Get RealSM messages and Ready, Set, Go!SM conveniences deliver the kind of greenvenience this no-nonsense consumer requires. A carbon-neutral computer from the U.K.'s PC World, for example, offers Xers a practical way to lessen their personal impact while still honoring their get-it-done phase of life.
Boomers: Although some dyed-in-the-wool Boomers have been green since the first Earth Day in 1970, it was largely in the '70s and '80s that eco-friendliness became politicized — making it tougher for larger numbers of Boomers to jump on board. Sustainability has since morphed and is now less political, allowing an expanded and diversified group of Boomers to take up the Earth-friendly cause. For baby boomers, green goods have always had a premium cast, so unlike Millennials, these consumers are willing to pay for goods that are good for the planet. (And sometimes they even want to!) From Earth-friendly 360 Vodka to an uptick in compact fluorescent lightbulb sales, for this cohort, extra dough for extra-green goods is a worthy indulgence for the conscience — and a savvy, necessary choice for long-term planetary health.
Matures: Informed greatly by lifestage, Matures' attitudes toward eco-consciousness tend toward the conservationist. For many Matures, curtailing consumption makes sense from both a personal (and, too often, financial) point of view and a planetary one. While most Matures aren't out leading the green charge, there are some senior activists still embracing the value of legacy and getting the green word out. GreenGranny.org and GreenSeniors.org offer examples of such senior activists, in addition to offering more hints about the flavor of green seniors. Despite sustainability not being a core cultural concern for the majority of their lives, Matures have a uniquely personal green motive: Legacy trumps other values as they push to shape the world for their kids and grandkids.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
Consumers' reasons for embracing eco-friendly behaviors range from the personal to the planetary, with each gen's sweet spot of consumer values differing. The takeaway for corporations employing sustainability-related marketing? Though there are similarities among green believers, today's green consumer has a number of faces, so aiming one eco-message at every generation at once won't work. Additionally, within each demographic there are a wide range of green shades, from the heavy greens (super-committed) to the light greens (hewing to green loosely).
The sustainability space is morphing so fast that in some business sectors green fatigue is setting in among consumers. While the overall green push isn't going to flame out any time soon, consumers in green-heavy spaces like home and garden, fashion and media are increasingly wary of overhyped promises or other signs of corporate greenwashing. While consumer green fatigue doesn't mean people are ditching eco, it does mean companies have to be exacting about making sure they deliver on the Earth-friendly promises they make.
Companies truly committed to sustainability may find themselves taking up ever greener practices in order to stay ahead of the pack — or at least ahead of their competitors' green claims.
While it's important to stay aware of generational differences, some green values do cut across generations. Keying in on convenience and authenticity isn't likely to alienate any of the generations. So if sustainability is, or could be, part of your business, at a minimum you'll need to walk the green walk — and do it quickly.

SEEN AND HEARD
We talked to a couple of college-age Millennials who are amped to set up their own green household when they hit campus and get out from under parental eyes. In addition to all-natural cleaning supplies, the co-eds were excited to find ReadyMade-friendly ways to reuse furniture and other household items. What were they especially pumped about? Curb shopping! For these Millennials, eco-consciousness is a mix of style, fun, discovery and experimentation.

Source: Iconoculture, 8/28/07

Café W to be launched in pharmacies

What's Happening

• Customers waiting in the store for their prescription refills can now enjoy a refill of their favorite beverage. More than 100 Walgreens are launching Café W, a self-service counter offering fountain drinks and snacks (SmartBrief.com 8.2.07).
• Many Walgreens already have in-store clinics; Café W is designed to blend tradition with modern needs and bring a sense of community that soda fountains lent pharmacies of yore.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• In-store clinics are the latest retail rage, popping up in stores like Wal-Mart, CVS and Target. They may offer one-stop shopping and convenience, but wait times are never fun. Lingering over a root beer float while chatting with a neighbor will ease away those waiting pains (and customers may remember that they need sunscreen and toothpaste as well.)
• In our fragmented lives, it's increasingly difficult to find that sense of community and tradition that made the old days the "good ole days."

Source: Iconoculture, 8/27/07

Nalgene Kits

Nalgene - its not just a container... now they are using it as packaging! Brilliant and noteworthy move by nalgene which has already spread into so many markets - for being basically a container manufacturer... so its for scientific purposes, then outdoors, then travel/airport security checks, then kids, then various caps and kits and flasks... and now you can get Auto, First Aid, Preparedness, Heat Stress, Dog, and Kid kits! All in your usual 32oz classic nalgenes... each with a signature color for branding naturally. All of the contents of each kit are listed after the jump as well as more pics... and if you don't find something like the First Aid or Preparedness kit as tempting as i do to leave in the car, etc... well it's just an interesting idea... make your own! I'm sure you have a bunch of nalgenes unused around the house too.
Source: notcot