Content about Cough

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Many parents give young children medicines for cough and cold that they shouldn't use, according to a new poll by the University of Michigan.

SALT LAKE CITY — Zarbee's on Tuesday noted that more consumers have gravitated toward natural solutions over allopathic medicines, at least through the end of December, citing Nielsen scan data. 

For the 12 weeks ended Dec. 31, supplemental immune system boosters and homeopathic cough and cold medicines were up 13%, Zarbee's reported. The trend is even more pronounced across children's remedies with allopathic medicines declining 15% in the 12 week period while sales of pediatric natural solutions were up 19%, and now make up more than 20% of the category. 

DEERFIELD, Ill. — While most adults in the United States believe immunizations are important, consumer sentiment doesn't always drive behavior, according to a new survey by Walgreens.

SALT LAKE CITY — A company that manufactures a line of natural, drug-free cough products is donating more than 20,000 bottles to children in developing countries.

Zarbee's said Wednesday it would donate 22,872 bottles of cough products to K.I.D.S.: A Global Children's Charity, which will distribute them to underserved children in distressed areas of Guatemala and North Korea.

The company's products are made from a blend of vitamins and antioxidant-rich dark honeys, which it says calm coughs and sooth sore throats in young children.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Reflecting the value of community pharmacy, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores is answering the call of public health authorities to promote vaccinations in the battle against whooping cough, also known as pertussis.

Kathleen Jaeger, NACDS’ SVP of pharmacy care and patient advocacy, is spreading the message amid a growing national outbreak of the highly-contagious respiratory disease.

While no one can predict illness rates for the upcoming 2012-2013 cough, cold and flu season — unless maybe you’re reading out of the book of Nostradamus — one thing you can bank on is this: It’s going to be one volatile season.


Coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing — many people have symptoms like these for a variety of reasons, ranging from common colds to smoke inhalation to running. While unpleasant, they’re usually not serious. But for many Americans, they’re the result of medical conditions that are chronic, dangerous and sometimes fatal.

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — The lackluster cough-cold season will necessitate a greater need for marketing and promotion next season, ProPhase Labs chairman and CEO Ted Karkus said on Thursday in announcing first-quarter results for the period ended March 31.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — A reported "epidemic" of whooping cough in Washington has prompted at least one retail pharmacy chain to increase supplies of booster vaccines for the disease.

Rite Aid announced Tuesday that it had brought in extra doses of Tdap to its 140 stores in the state. The announcement follows a report from the state's Department of Health that there had been 640 cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, so far this year, a sevenfold increase compared with the same three-month period in 2011.

LAS VEGAS — Melville, N.Y.-based Ascent Consumer Products late last month introduced a new delivery form to the nasal saline category — a dry salt inhaler branded InHalo — as a new solution to help break up mucous and promote nasal and bronchial drainage at the ECRM Cough & Cold and Allergy EPPS conference held here.

CINCINNATI — This cough-cold season, Procter & Gamble showcased four new Vicks Nature Fusion products — traditional cough-cold-relieving medicines infused with honey. And while none of the Vicks formulations are for kids, the move toward a more natural remedy could be reflective of what’s happening over in the kids’ cough-cold space. With the safety and efficacy of cough-cold medicines called into question several years ago, that category is now stocked with homeopathic remedies and natural buckwheat honeys.

LAS VEGAS — Annapolis, Md.-based St. Joseph Consumer Health last week unveiled a new St. Joseph-branded line of cough-cold products formulated for patients with high blood pressure at the ECRM Cough & Cold and Allergy EPPS.

The products all feature "decongestant-free" on the package underneath the St. Joseph brand, long known for its 81-mg daily aspirin regimen. The lineup includes a multi-symptom day/night caplet formulation, two formulations targeting cold and flu symptoms and a cough tablet SKU.