Jessica Hogue
My colleague Melissa Davies published findings earlier this year on the role of the Internet in healthcare, which found that while doctors are still the primary source for healthcare information, the Internet is a close second. In this new era of collaborative care, patients have access to an array of online tools to arm them with more detailed information about their conditions and treatments than ever before. Specifically, social media vehicles are expanding and accelerating the pace at which patients and caregivers can gain access to drug treatment ratings. …

The launch of Zyrtec OTC and its private label equivalent, Private Label Cetirizine, in early 2008 triggered strong incremental growth in the over-the-counter (OTC) allergy medication market in the U.S., a new analysis by NielsenHealth and Wolters Kluwer Health reports.
According to Nielsen and Wolters Kluwer, the OTC oral/nasal allergy market grew by about 30% in the first half of 2008, compared with same period in 2007.
Like Zyrtec OTC, PL Cetirizine had rapid uptake, accounting for approximately one-third of the OTC cetirizine market’s patient volume during the spring 2008 allergy season.  Zyrtec …

American households headed by people age 65 and older spent 55% more on vitamins and 45% more on medications and remedies than average American households during the 52 weeks ending June 28, 2008, according to Nielsen.
Households headed by Americans age 65 and older account for 14.4% of all U.S. households.  These households represented 22.3% of vitamins product dollar sales and 20.8% of medications and remedies product dollar sales.
Other categories skewing to households with older people include pain remedies, canned fruit, and coffee, as well as canning/freezing supplies and floral/gardening supplies.

Rank
(by highest index)
Top 10 Categories:
Households …

As the world grapples with a global recession and financial markets remain volatile, many people are reminding themselves that money can’t buy happiness. Men however, beg to differ.
Results of a global happiness survey from The Nielsen Company reveal that men are happier with money, while women are happier with friendships and relationships with their children, co-workers and bosses.
“Because they are happier with non-economic factors, women’s happiness is more recession-proof, which might explain why women around the world are happier in general than men are,” said Bruce Paul, VP Consumer Research, …

Zyrtec isn’t the first prescription drug to make the switch to over-the-counter (OTC) availability.  But when McNeil launched the OTC version of its allergy medication in January 2008, Zyrtec’s prescription-to-OTC transition was hardly “typical,” according to a new analysis by NielsenHealth and Wolters Kluwer Health.
In the first six months following its launch (January to June 2008), Zyrtec OTC shook up prescription and OTC allergy medication markets in the U.S.   Prescription allergy drug sales declined sharply, while over-the-counter allergy drug sales increased significantly.
By June 2008, prescription sales of Zyrtec had declined to nearly …

Obesity is more prevalent in the U.S. than ever before, and marketers are taking notice.  Many are actively changing their strategies to create products and messages that appeal to this segment of the population. 
According to NielsenHealth, U.S. households with at least one obese member spend 9% more than the average American household on over-the-counter medications, 10% more on health and beauty care products, and almost 17% more on total medications and remedies. 
Obesity sufferers tend to live in low-income households, with incomes of less than $20,000/year, and are more likely to be middle-aged …

Still more data confirming the battered state of the U.S. economy: U.S. consumers are more price conscious than shoppers in other countries — even when their health is on the line.
According to a global survey conducted by Nielsen and the Association of the European Self-Medication Industry (AESGP), U.S. consumers place more importance on price and value when choosing over-the-counter (OTC) medications than consumers in other countries throughout Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and the Middle East. 
Thirty percent of U.S. consumers consider price to be important when choosing OTC products, while …

Melissa Davies
Several of our staff have touched on the economy in recent days. As consumers’ healthcare costs continue to climb, it seems natural that healthcare cannot be immune to the effects of the downturn that has our world reeling. The New York Times on Tuesday published an article about a trend in patients stopping certain medications because they can’t afford them. Other news sources have reported on various patient cost-saving measures, from splitting pills in half to taking a medication every other day instead of every day.
I wondered if we …

By 2050, the number of people on in the U.S. living to 100 will be nearly 850,000 — 14 times what it is today, according to a new study from Nielsen.
The report looks at issues related to the baby boom and beyond, breaking down the global challenges for marketing to an aging audience. 
A Global Phenomenon
The U.S. is not alone.  During this same period, Japan’s over-65 population will double, while parts of Europe will reach a 1:1 ratio between working-age and pension-able citizens.  Even developing nations will face unprecedented mid-century surges in their elderly: India’s …

Melissa Davies
The Pew Internet & American Life Project today released the results of its latest survey into how and when Americans use the Internet to gather health information. In The Social Life of Health Information, Pew reports that Americans are turning to an increasingly broader array of online and offline resources in their search for health information.
Highlights from the report include:

83 percent of online adults have looked on the Web for health information. (Since 2002, Pew Internet Project surveys have consistently found that 75-83 percent of Internet users look online …