Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/562595
C h a i n D r u g s t o r e D a i l y 7 7 Tu e s d a y, A u g u s t 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 compared to $113,695,176 in the winter (Nov-Jan, US-MULO Anti-Itch), a 59 percent difference. This creates a significant problem for retailers, as one of the largest cate- gories in first-aid is only performing opti- mally for part of the year. Brands are concentrating their resources to drive consumers to shelf to take advantage of this traditionally seasonal spike in sales, and being largely quiet the rest of the year. One exception has been TriCalm. Since launching in 2013, the brand has grown 276 percent last year, making it the fastest growing brand in the category. A key reason for that success has been its ability to drive sales during the months that the anti-itch category has traditional- ly been depressed. "We've been very pleased with our ability to attract consumers in the winter. Itch happens all year round. The differ- ence is, it happens for different reasons, so some products only work on specific types of itch. TriCalm solves itch in a totally different way, and so we believe it solves all kinds of itch," says Justin Brown, TriCalm's Vice President of Sales. "From the response we've gotten TriCalm (Cont'd. from p. 1) from consumers, it seems like we were right." Other manufacturers have taken notice and have expanded their product offerings to address more non-seasonal issues. TriCalm plans to bring new SKUs to the market as well. "We have had huge success, but it really has only been with one product," adds Brown. "Above all things, we know what a significant problem itch is. For most of us it is merely a nui- sance, but for millions of consumers who have chronic skin problems it is far more than that. It's part of their daily life. We've heard from thousands of these people that TriCalm has liter- ally changed the quality of their life, and offered relief when nothing else has worked. Our plans are to continue to offer new products that provide relief for all kinds of itch, and to do it all year round." For more information about TriCalm, contact Justin Brown at jbrown@ cosmederm.com, call 858.550.7070 ext. 137 or visit www.tricalm.com. For sales information, contact David Biernbaum of David Biernbaum & Associates at david@biernbaum.com, or call 314.434.6008. SCRIPTPRO BRINGS DEEP UNDERSTANDING TO MAKE PHARMACIES SUCCESSFUL An interview with Mike Coughlin, President and Chief Executive Officer, ScriptPro. CDD: How is the robot business doing in this changing healthcare environment? MC: Quite well. Automation is more important than ever to pharmacies. We have over 7,000 robots working in phar- macies around the world and the technolo- gy ScriptPro pioneered 20 years ago has kept up with the needs of the industry. Almost all of the robots we have ever built are still in service and we see no end of life for these machines. We are now bringing some of the older units back to the factory for refurbishing and we send them back to the customers for at least another 10 years of service. There aren't many technologies that have stood the test of time like that. CDD: ScriptPro is now more than a robot company. Tell our readers about that. MC: ScriptPro is a one-stop shop for sys- tems to operate pharmacies of all types and sizes. Our customers include chains, independents, health systems and mail service/central fill operations. We also offer a hosted third party management system that is actually a full revenue accounting platform. It can be used with any pharmacy management system and provides everything needed for financial management of pharmacy revenues. CDD: How about the latest hot topics – like 340B and specialty pharmacy? MC: We have unique offerings in these areas. Our pharmacy management system has built-in real time 340B processing. The system identifies the 340B prescrip- tions and directs pharmacy staff to select the optimum priced products from inven- tory. It automatically enters the correct codes for claims submission. There is a virtual class of trade inventory tracking and automated ordering. Other systems rely on after the fact processing to track and replenish 340B inventory and correct the claims. These approaches are compli- cated and error prone and they cannot deal with the fact that the patient has already left the pharmacy with the wrong drug. We also have a unique approach to specialty pharmacy with integration of workflow checks, advanced DUR processes and case management tools with the pharmacy management system. Other approaches rely on add-on pack- ages and duplication of data entry to han- dle specialty pharmacy and complicated medication therapy support. CDD: What does all this mean to the business of running pharmacies? MC: Like all businesses, pharmacies need to grapple with fundamental issues: how to increase margins, reduce costs and expand access to patients. In the changing healthcare landscape, powerful systems are required to do this. For more information, go to www.script pro.com or call 800.606.7628. DENTEK EXPANDS PRODUCT PORTFOLIO IN ORAL CARE SPACE DenTek, a worldwide leader in innovative oral care products, continues to expand its portfolio in the oral care space with the recent acquisition of Orabrush, and the Canker Cover ® and OraMoist ® brands. DenTek continues to expand its product portfolio with the addition last December of the No. 1 tongue cleaner brand worldwide, Orabrush. In addition, DenTek acquired the Canker Cover brand, a product that heals and protects canker sores while relieving pain, and OraMoist, a gradual release patch to alle- viate dry mouth. "Our strategy is to broaden our assortment of products within the dental accessories space," said David Fox, President and Chief Executive Officer of DenTek. "Bringing the resources of DenTek to these brands will enable us to expand upon the brands and their tech- nology platforms." Fox says these and possible future acquisitions will be an important element within the dental accessory space. "There is certainly an opportunity for expansion of this space. We believe that the acces- sory section is an important part of the assortment for highly involved oral care consumers and that not enough attention is put on dental accessories. Ten years ago, the dental accessory space was half its size. These highly involved con- sumers spend more on their oral care bas- ket and these products generally provide stronger margins for the retailers. Using its 30-plus years of experience developing innovative oral care products, DenTek will promote the Orabrush, Canker Cover and OraMoist brands in conjunction with its comprehensive suite of products, which include floss picks, interdental brush cleaners, dental guards for nighttime teeth grinding, dental picks/scalers and tongue cleaners. DenTek also plans to leverage its existing retail partnerships to accelerate retail expansion of these products beyond their current availability, and to gain more visibility on promoting positive oral health as a whole. "We launch a number of new prod- ucts every year and expect to continue to grow organically and through acquisi- tions," Fox noted. The company is work- ing on international expansion as well – Mexico, South America, Canada and Europe are a few territories where DenTek is continuing to grow. More information can be found at www.dentek.com or by calling 800.433.6835, ext. 2. AKORN: NEW BRANDING, NEW COMMERCIAL LEADERSHIP Akorn Inc., a leading specialty generics company based in Lake Forest, Illinois, recently unveiled new branding that embodies the company's ongoing com- mitment to patients and customers. The new Akorn brand celebrates the compa- ny's transformation from a niche generic ophthalmic and injectable supplier to a specialty generics leader in the U.S. mar- ket. The company offers a full line of generic pharmaceutical products in alter- nate dosage forms, including topicals, oral liquids, nasal sprays, ophthalmics and injectables. In addition to specialty generic products, Akorn offers a unique portfolio of branded products focused on ophthalmology and acute care settings. Akorn's new branding represents a celebration of the company's transforma- tion over the last 18 months. The new logo features a Möbius, a two-dimen- sional band connected to form an infinite loop, symbolizing the "Power of Three" with three colored segments. Dark blue reflects Akorn's dedication to quality, availability and affordability. Green rep- resents past and future growth in Akorn's three main channels: generics, brands and OTC. Light blue evokes the trust earned by Akorn across all business seg- ments: pharmaceuticals, consumer health and animal health. The intertwining of these elements sym- bolizes Akorn's spe- cialized dosage forms, multiple trade channels and multinational reach, as well as the company's dedication to its cus- tomers. "Our new branding reflects the pro- gressive company we are today and our ongoing practice of solving healthcare challenges," said Chief Executive Officer Raj Rai. "The branding demonstrates our stability, integrity and ongoing growth." Along with the company's new branding, which follows Akorn's recent acquisitions of Hi-Tech Pharmacal and VersaPharm, Akorn recently appointed Jonathan Kafer as Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing. In the newly created role, Kafer will oversee all commercial functions for all of Akorn's business units. Kafer will also play an integral role in strategic market and product portfolio considerations as well as ensuring Akorn's continued excellent customer service. "I'm excited to join the Akorn team to help lead the company's transforma- tion into a specialty generics leader," said Kafer. "Akorn is unique in the industry for its ability to provide a one-stop shop for often difficult-to-source specialty generic products. We plan to build on this strategy to remain a trusted source focused on the quality, availability, and affordability of specialty generics." Visit Akorn at booth #3705. For more information, call 800.932.5676 or go to www.akorn.com.