Drug Topics - March 2009 - (Page 36) Product Updates FEATURED THIS MONTH: EYE CARE RESULTS cally report an increase in OTC eye-care products. Nearly 20 percent cite an aging population as the reason for the increase. Other frequent reasons given for the growth in sales point to increased allergies or environmental factors, consumer advertising, and greater product selection. According to several respondents, more prescribers are referring patients to OTC products as well. Cost was mentioned only twice as a force driving increased OTC eye-care business, yet 8 percent of respondents’ stores market or run sales on OTC eye-care products daily; 30 percent do so weekly; and 21 percent monthly. Nearly two dozen respondents said manufacturers could improve eye-care sales by being more price-conscious in this tough economic climate. you just say, ‘You know, you need to seek help from an eye doctor’; but with seasonal allergies, depending on the time of year, it’s possible that we’ll go ahead and make such a recommendation.” Counseling On average, respondents counsel 12 patients each week on OTC eye-care products, spending 2.8 minutes each time. Typically, customers approach pharmacy staff for help, with only 7 percent of respondents reporting that pharmacists usually initiate discussions. That may be due in part to product location, as illustrated by Pharmax Pharmacy in Mattoon, Ill., where the customer/pharmacist approach is closer to 50/50. Tony Richards, RPh, said, “The eyedrops are right in front of us as we’re checking our [prescriptions], so we have open access to all the customers. Half the time they’ll come up and just ask, and half the time we’ll start the conversation.” Three-quarters of the respondents are vigorous proponents of counseling, with 24 percent strongly agreeing and 52 percent “mostly” agreeing that “Most helpful for me would be a chart comparing products in each group, ingredients, ef cacy and price, etc. ” customers need more counseling about OTC eye-care products. In the survey, the types of OTC eye-care products respondents most frequently discuss with patients are artificial tears and allergy eyedrops. Richards’ experience is similar. “The two ‘big ones’ for us are either tired eyes, because a lot of people sit at a computer, or seasonal allergy problems, spring and fall.” When discussing OTC eye-care drops with patients, 53 percent of respondents “always” or “very often” recommend OTC antihistamines also. That depends on the situation, according to Richards. “There’s a point that Recommending products Medical and pharmacist trade journals have the greatest influence on survey respondents’ decisions to recommend a specific OTC eye-care product. Other prominently cited information sources are product packaging, patient feedback, and eye doctors. Richards noted that contacting doctors for information takes more time than most pharmacists have. As for product information, Richards added, “There’s always room [for manufacturers] to expand on that. They could send out more literature and continuing education to help us keep abreast of it, but for the most part, they’ve done well.” In the survey, the factors that would most strongly increase pharmacists’ confidence in OTC eye-care products are more information/education, patient feedback, and clinical testing/evidence. Increased education – for both pharmacist and patient – was in fact the most frequently listed answer to the question “What can manufacturers do to help you improve your eyecare product sales?” As one respondent said, “Get more information to pharmacists. Eye care is a topic that is only briefly covered in pharmacy school. I think I had only one lecture covering all aspects of eye care, and I went to one of the top schools in the nation.” Respondents specifically mentioned W W W.D R U GTO P I C S .C O M 36 DRUG TOPICS March 2009 COURTESY GETTY IMAGES / STOCKBYTE http://WWW.DRUGTOPICS.COM
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