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Treat your cough better

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Treat your cough better

Community pharmacy needs to step in confidently this year, to convince more people to manage their cough and cold symptoms without visiting the GP first

Pharmacy Voice and the Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB) launched this year’s Treat Yourself Better with Pharmacist Advice campaign back in September. The campaign is aimed at driving people with cold and flu symptoms to their local pharmacy, in an attempt to free up GP appointments and A&E departments during the winter months. Research commissioned for the campaign found that only one in five adults make use of their local pharmacy for winter ailments, yet this should be their first port of call for advice.

Jacki Beesley, Numark’s retail marketing executive, says that advice is what makes pharmacies, particularly independents, stand out. ‘Making the most of the cough/cold/flu section can add both value to the customer and maximise on sales potential,’ she says. ‘Moving GSL medicines from behind the counter to selfselection areas gives staff the opportunity to suggest trading up to more efficacious or appropriate medicines. The pharmacy USP is advising customers when they get to the counter on the appropriate medicine for them and their symptoms, not simply taking the money for the product and ‘packing and wrapping.’

Pharmacies may encourage pharmacy footfall by stocking more powerful P-only cold and flu remedies and recommending products to suit specific needs. So what should pharmacies be stocking to suit different customers’ needs this winter?

The worried well

Few people escape the common cold. In fact, adults experience two to five colds each year. The latest research by Potter’s Herbals expert panel, the Henry Potter Advisory Committee, revealed that while more than half of those surveyed said that they were concerned about their immune health all year round, the British public still make very little effort to reduce their risk of getting a cold in the first place.

More than half of the Potter’s Herbals survey participants don’t take any preventative measures at all, with almost one-fifth believing there is nothing you can do to prevent colds. Yet a herbal remedy may help to strengthen the immune system and minimise symptoms.

Lindsay Revill, brand manager for Potter’s Herbals, claims: ‘Whereas conventional medicines can help to ease the symptoms of a cold, herbal ingredients (such as those in Potter’s Elixir of Echinacea Plus), when taken at the first sign of a sniffle, can actually help to prevent the onset of a cold and shorten its duration, as well as balance the immune system.’

Some customers may want to stock up on cold and flu remedies in advance ‘just in case’. Ms Beesley stresses the potential of promoting additional products during the winter, for example vitamin supplements and/or echinacea herbal remedies. ‘Vitamins and minerals are particularly important in the winter as they build up the immune system and help the body fight off infection.’

Customers can be reminded about the full range of products available when they visit the pharmacy. ‘Link selling is about increasing your profits and offering your customers something they may not have thought about.’

Children can catch up to 10 colds a year. A clinical trial published in September 2014 (in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition) suggested that ‘Fit for School’, a new chewable probiotic for children from ProVen Probiotics, can help to prevent coughs and colds in three- to six-yearolds, says Dr Nigel Plummer, scientist and managing director of ProVen Probiotics.

Research found that only one in five adults make use of their pharmacy for winter ailments, yet this should be their first port of call for advice

The working wounded

New research commissioned by Care shows that, in the past year, a third of British workers has taken a day off sick due to the common cold. One in five workers in the Care survey admited they stay at home until they feel 100 per cent better. However, 62 per cent of adults choose to power through, relying on over-thecounter medicines to help ease their symptoms.

Kate Sweeney, senior brand manager at RB, says that as distress purchases, people turn to the brands they see as reliable. ‘What consumers want is something that will make them feel better, and they don’t want to try something unknown to see if it works, they want results and they want them fast,’ she comments.

‘Through Nurofen Cold & Flu and the Lemsip range, retailers ensure that whether consumers want help to keep going through their symptoms or would rather rest and recover their way back to normal, the solution is on the fixture.’ Reckitt Benckiser is supporting this winter’s Treat Yourself Better with Pharmacy Advice campaign with its ‘no appointment necessary (to treat your cold & flu symptoms)’ initiative. This taps into growing awareness of the issue of self-treatment and drives shoppers into store.

‘The cold and flu category is complex, with many consumers confused and unsure what to do for the best,’ says Craig Shaw, Nurofen’s marketing director. ‘Our campaign will help drive consumers into the pharmacy for advice and guidance. With our Nurofen Cold & Flu, Lemsip, Lemsip Cough and Strepsils brands, RB literally has winter ‘all wrapped up’ for the retailer, with leading brands that customers want, with direct to consumer brand campaigns using TV, online, social media and out of home advertising to the value of more than £12 million.’

Martin Stimson, area business manager for Fisherman’s Friend in the UK, says sales of medicated confectionery typically mirror the number of coughs and colds doing the rounds. Fisherman’s Friend unveiled a brand new flavour this winter: its first in the UK for six years. The new Honey & Lemon lozenge has been rolled out exclusively to pharmacy retailers, with strong support for pharmacists via bespoke launch packs, POS materials and till-point sample towers.

Elderly with winter ailments are encouraged
to visit their pharmacy first

People who are ‘feeling under the weather’, particularly older people and those with existing respiratory conditions, are being encouraged to seek early advice from their local pharmacist if they are feeling worse because of a cold, in a national public awareness campaign launched this winter by the NHS.

The NHS says that each winter sees a huge increase in numbers of emergency admissions to hospital over the colder months. Those with existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma or bronchitis are particularly vulnerable, and for frailer and older people, even the common cold can become more serious.

NHS England’s clinical director for acute care, Professor Keith Willett, said: ‘As a doctor who has spent some 30 years working in A&E, I know we have to do better at helping people stay well, not just picking up the pieces when they fall seriously ill. The NHS has not spent enough time broadcasting that message in the past.’

Building on the success of last winter’s campaign and the evidence base for the urgent and emergency care review, ‘feeling under the weather’ aims to relieve pressure on A&E departments by promoting earlier access to health advice and self care information from community pharmacy services or NHS Choices.

During November and December, the public will see posters on bill boards, phone kiosks, shopping centres and supermarkets, including sites near pharmacies. Adverts will also be run in national newspapers, magazines and a range of websites, as well as on commercial radio stations. Posters are being sent to pharmacy services for display.

www.nhs.uk/asap

The sugar conscious

Public health advisors are urging the public to cut down on their sugar intake. In June, the Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition recommended that only around five per cent of people’s daily energy intake should come from free sugars (i.e. sugar added to food). A recent paper co-authored by scientific advisers to the Action on Sugar campaign and published in the journal BMC Public Health suggested sugar intake should be slashed to just three per cent of calorie intake to minimise tooth decay.

This winter, Lemsip is tapping into the more health-conscious and sugar-conscious cough sufferer with the launch of Lemsip Mucus Cough Liquid Sugar and Colour Free.

Covonia is also targeting niche audiences with its new sugar-free and alcohol-free formulation. The brand says that Covonia Chesty Cough Sugar Free Syrup is also particularly useful for patients who choose not to consume alcohol for religious or lifestyle reasons or for patients with diabetes. ‘The UK Muslim population is forecast to reach 8.2 per cent of the UK by 2030, so it’s important for pharmacists to stock sugar-free and also alcohol-free products to meet consumer demand,’ says Ed Round, marketing manager at Covonia. The sector is on the increase. ‘The growing sugar-free market now accounts for 10 per cent of all cough liquid sales – a figure which is likely to rise further given the alarming diabetes incidence rates in the UK,’ he adds.

Comment

Jayu Shah, CW Andrew Pharmacy, London ‘The cough and sore throat category gathers a lot of interest in the pharmacy, especially with people who want a quick fix. We also recommend echinacea and multi-vitamins during the cold and flu season to boost a customer’s immune system. Multivitamins are quite popular in this part of central London. You have to gauge whether the customer wants to buy lots of other products to go with their main purchase and if they do you can offer nasal sprays and tissues. The national campaigns to encourage customers to come to the pharmacy first appear to be working as we’ve found that our customers do want to come and see us first. We offered the flu vaccine service last year and again this year.’

Pallavi Dawda, Masons Chemists, Coalville, Leicestershire ‘When the heating goes on in people’s homes we start to see a huge increase in requests for cough and sore throat products. The cough product category offers a range of solutions to numerous types of cough, but most of the requests in our pharmacy are for branded products. Detailed questioning helps to match the right product for the right customer, even down to flavour options. For sore throats, there is the opportunity to add value for customers with products that both relieve and reduce the severity of the sore throat. Personally, I prefer the sprays, as they offer a numbing action and targeted relief. I also encourage customers to purchase a simple soothing lozenge as this can be used more frequently.’

Alan Bradley, Cornwell’s Chemist, Newcastle-under-Lyme ‘There is a massive range of over-the-counter products available to suit all types of patients and suitable for a variety of co-morbidities. I am a particular fan of pholcodine for dry coughs, but this does prove an issue with interactions. For productive coughs, a customer favourite is the Robitussin red, but I do like to incorporate mucus-relieving products when advising a cough medicine, such as Benylin mucus cough and Lemsip mucus cough medicines. Various products like Difflam throat spray and Tyrozets are my favourites for sore throats, depending on other medication, along with advising warm drinks and plenty of fluids.’

 

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