by HARRIS FLEMING, Jr.

As one of the most trusted groups of health professionals, pharmacists wield a lot of influence over patients' choices of over-the-counter medications.

As in years past, Drug Topics did a study of pharmacists' preferences when recommending OTC products to their patients/customers. Some 1,200 questionnaires were mailed to a random nationwide sample of pharmacists, 500 of whom were independents. The rest of the surveys went to pharmacists in chain drugstore and supermarket/mass-merchandiser settings.

The survey attained a response rate of 15%. The data were weighted to reflect the universe of store units as defined by the Drug Topics circulation list.

What follows reveals the OTC brands pharmacists said they recommend most often, ranked according to the percentage of pharmacists who recommend them. Only those products recommended by 10% or more of the pharmacists responding to our survey have been included. The percentages may add up to more than 100% due to multiple answers. Also, percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. The survey focused exclusively on name brands and did not include private-label or store brands.

ANALGESICS

Acetaminophens Less than half of the responding pharmacists (47%) recommend a brand-name acetaminophen product in an average month. But those pharmacists who do recommend one do so about 12 times a month. Tylenol (McNeil Consumer Healthcare) 97% Aspirins Out of the pharmacists responding to the survey, 39% will make a recommendation for a specific aspirin product nine times in an average month. Bayer (Bayer Corp., Consumer Care Division) 80% Ecotrin (SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals) 37 Ibuprofens While just 44% of the participants recommend a specific brand of ibuprofen, they do so 11 times in an average month, according to our study. Motrin/Motrin IB (McNeil Consumer Products Co.) 78% Advil (Whitehall-Robins Healthcare) 68 Ketoprofens Only 23% of the pharmacists in the study recommend a ketoprofen brand in a given month, and even that small group does so only about four times a month. Orudis/Orudis KT (Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories) 86% Naproxen sodium products Pharmacists seem to be a little more apt to recommend a particular naproxen sodium product, as 44% said they do just that about six times a month. As with other analgesic categories, one product emerged as dominant, with study participants selecting "other" brands as the only alternative to Aleve, which is recommended most often by 96%. Aleve (Bayer Corp., Consumer Care Division) 96%

COUGH/COLD/ALLERGY

Adult cold preparations Some 69% of our respondents said they recommend name-brand adult cold preparations about 14 times in an average month. Comtrex (Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.) 18% Sudafed (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 17 Tavist D (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 13 Tylenol (McNeil Consumer Healthcare) 13 Robitussin (Whitehall-Robins Laboratories) 10 Children's cold preparations Of the pharmacists who participated in our study, 68% recommend name-brand children's cold preparations 11 times per month. Dimetapp (Whitehall-Robins Healthcare) 44% Triaminic (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 27 Pedia Care (Pharmacia & Upjohn Consumer Healthcare) 19 Adult cough medications About 69% of study participants recommend adult cough medications 14 times in an average month. Robitussin-DM (Whitehall-Robins Laboratories) 47% Robitussin (Whitehall-Robins Laboratories) 35 Delsym (Medeva Pharmaceuticals) 29 Children's cough medications Fewer pharmacists seem to recommend children's cough medications than adult cough products, as 63% reported making such recommendations 12 times per month. Triaminic (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 28% Robitussin DM Pediatric (Whitehall-Robins Laboratories) 23 Robitussin (Whitehall-Robins Laboratories) 19 Dimetapp DM (Whitehall-Robins Laboratories) 13 Delsym (Medeva Pharmaceuticals) 10 Allergy relief products As common as allergies are, 65% of our study participants point patients toward a given brand 13 times each month, on average. Chlor-Trimeton (Schering-Plough HealthCare Products) 44% Benadryl (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 43 Tavist/Tavist D (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 43 Asthma relief products Just 29% of the pharmacists who returned their surveys recommend name-brand OTC asthma relief products, and they make such recommendations only five times a month. Primatene (Whitehall-Robins Laboratories) 82% Bronkaid (Bayer Corp., Consumer Care Division) 24 Flu remedies More than half of our participants recommend flu remedies by brand nameѵ7%, according to the study. They do so about eight times a month. Theraflu (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 51% Tylenol Flu Max. Strength (McNeil Consumer Healthcare) 36 Tylenol (McNeil Consumer Healthcare) 11 Comtrex (Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.) 12 Sinus remedies About 64% of the respondents recommend OTC sinus remedies to their patients 11 times a month, the survey reported. Sudafed (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 45% Tylenol Sinus (McNeil Consumer Healthcare) 26 Advil Cold & Sinus (Whitehall-Robins Healthcare) 13 Sinutab (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 13 Throat lozenges About three-quarters of the pharmacists who participated said they recommend branded OTC throat lozenges about eight times per month. Cepacol (J.B. Williams Co.) 20% Cepastat (Heritage Consumer Products) 19 Halls (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 15 Sucrets Cough Control (SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals) 13 Sucrets Children's Sore Throat (SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals) 12 Throat sprays Throat sprays appear to be doing well, as 67% of the study respondents said they recommend name-brand OTC sprays about seven times a month. Chloraseptic (Procter & Gamble) 83% Cepacol (J.B. Williams Co.) 23

DENTAL PRODUCTS

Antiplaque/gingivitis rinse Only about one-quarter of the pharmacists in the study recommend specific brands of antiplaque or gingivitis rinses per month. The 26% who make those recommendations do so about three times in an average month. Plax (Pfizer Inc., Consumer Health Care Group) 60% Listerine (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 28 Peroxyl (Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals Inc.) 12 Denture cleansers Very few pharmacists (14%) reported recommending particular brands of denture cleansers to their customers, and the ones who made recommendations did so just three times a month. Polident (Block Drug Co.) 59% Efferdent (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 55 Fluoride rinses Of the pharmacists participating in our nationwide study, only 16% suggest particular fluoride rinses. They do so three times a month, on average. Act (Johnson & Johnson/Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals) 53% Phos-Flur (Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals Inc.) 29 Tooth whiteners Just 14% of the pharmacists who responded to our survey are in the habit of recommending tooth whiteners by name. They make such suggestions just about three times a month. Rembrandt (Den-Mat Corp.) 43% Colgate (Colgate-Palmolive) 17 Ultrabrite (Colgate-Palmolive) 10 Toothache/teething remedies The pharmacists we heard from are slightly more active in recommending toothache/ teething remedies than they are in other dental categories, as 43% make specific suggestions to their customers four times a month. Anbesol (Whitehall-Robins Healthcare) 57% Orajel Mouth-Aid (Del Pharmaceuticals Inc.) 44 Toothpaste Toothpaste is another product pharmacists are not inclined to recommend by name, as just 25% make brand suggestions three times in an average month. Crest (Procter & Gamble) 72% Colgate (Colgate-Palmolive) 33 Colgate Total (Colgate-Palmolive) 15 Aquafresh (SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare) 14

DEVICES

Blood glucose monitors Most pharmacists who participated in the study (80%) recommend blood glucose monitors by name brand about five times every month, on average. One Touch (Lifescan Inc.) 44% Accu-Chek (Roche Diagnostic Systems Inc.) 32 Accu-Chek Advantage (Roche Diagnostic Systems Inc.) 21 Glucometer-Elite (Bayer Corp., Diagnostics) 11 Fast Take (Lifescan Inc.) 10 Cholesterol tests Not many pharmacists make specific recommendations for cholesterol tests, with just 13% saying they do so in an average month. And they make such a recommendation four times during the month. Choles Trak was the only brand selected by name by survey responders; 75% said they recommend that brand most often, with the remainder selecting "other." Choles Trak (Chemtrak Inc.) 75% Insulin syringes Fifty-eight percent of the pharmacists in our study do make brand-specific recommendations for insulin syringes five times a month. B-D (Becton, Dickinson) 81% B-D Ultra Fine (Becton, Dickinson) 15 Monoject Syringes (Kendall Co.) 12 Ovulation test kits Less than one-quarter of our sample (23%) offer suggestions on what brand of ovulation test kit to use, and even those that do only make such recommendations two times per month, on average. Clearplan Easy (Unipath Diagnostics Co.) 37% First Response (Carter-Wallace Inc.) 37 OVUQuick Self-Test (Quidel Corp.) 15 OVUKit Self-Test (Quidel Corp.) 10 Pregnancy test kits About 48% of respondents said they recommend a particular pregnancy test kit four times in an average month. EPT (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 67% First Response (Carter-Wallace Inc.) 25 Answer Quick (Carter-Wallace Inc.) 11 Clear Blue Easy (Unipath Diagnostics Co.) 10 Thermometers Most pharmacists don't recommend a specific brand of thermometer to customers. Just 46% make such suggestions just three times per month. B-D (Becton, Dickinson) 69% B-D Digital (Becton, Dickinson) 14

GASTROINTESTINAL MEDICATIONS

Antacids Of the pharmacists responding, 67% recommend name-brand antacids seven times a month. Mylanta (Johnson & Johnson/Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals ) 55% Maalox (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 46 Tums (SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals) 25 Antidiarrheals Antidiarrheals are recommended by name by 73% of the pharmacists in our sample. They do so about six times a month. Imodium A-D Imodium (McNeil Ortho Consumer Products) 94% Kaopectate (Pharmacia & Upjohn Co.) 19 Bulk laxatives Bulk laxatives are recommended by brand name by 61% of the pharmacists who responded to the Drug Topics survey. They steer patients toward a given product about four times a month, on average. Metamucil (Procter & Gamble) 79% Citrucel (SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals) 43 Fibercon (Lederle Consumer Health Products) 17 H2 antagonists A full three-quarters of respondents said they suggest a specific brand of H2 antagonist to their patients, at an average rate of seven times per month. Pepcid AC/Pepcid (Johnson & Johnson/Merck) 87% Zantac 75/Zantac (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 66 Hemorrhoidal preparations Nationwide, 64% of the pharmacists in our survey reported that they offer recommendations for hemorrhoidal preparations four times a month. Preparation H (Whitehall-Robins Laboratories) 69% Anusol/Anusol HC-1 (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 62 Irritant or stimulant laxatives Pharmacists are slightly less inclined to make recommendations for specific irritant or stimulant laxatives by brand name, as just 43% reported doing so in an average month. Those who make recommendations for these products do so about four times in an average month. Dulcolax (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 59% Senokot (Purdue Frederick Co.) 26 Peri-Colace (Roberts Pharmaceutical Corp.) 15 Ex Lax (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 11 Correctol (Schering-Plough HealthCare Products) 11 Saline laxatives Only 29% of the pharmacists in our study report suggesting particular saline laxatives, doing so four times a month, on average. Fleet Enema (C.B. Fleet Co.) 45% Fleet Phospho-Soda (C.B. Fleet Co.) 35 Citrucel (SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals) 14 Stool softeners While less than half of our study population (49%) recommend stool softeners by brand name, the ones who do are quick to make a suggestion; in an average month, they do so about seven times. Colace (Roberts Pharmaceutical Corp.) 78% Surfak Liquigels (Pharmacia & Upjohn Co.) 17 Other laxatives Just 23% of the pharmacists in our study find it necessary to recommend other types of laxatives, though they do so five times in an average month. Senokot (Purdue Frederick Co.) 28% Peri-Colace (Roberts Pharmaceutical Corp.) 25 Ex Lax (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 15 Doxidan (Pharmacia & Upjohn Co.) 14 Dulcolax (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 12

HERBAL PREPARATIONS

St. John's wort Even though St. John's wort is one of the better-known herbal products, just one-quarter of the study population reported recommending a particular brand of this botanical three times a month. Nature Made Vitamins (Pharmavite Corp.) 28% Nature's Resource Vitamins (Pharmavite Corp.) 15 Nature's Bounty (NBTY Inc.) 12 Ginkgo biloba Like St. John's wort, ginkgo biloba has benefited from widespread discussion. But, again, just 25% of the pharmacists who responded to our survey reported recommending specific brands of this product three times during an average month. Nature Made Vitamins (Pharmavite Corp.) 24% Nature's Resource Vitamins (Pharmavite Corp.) 12 Ginger Less ballyhooed than ginkgo biloba, ginger was recommended by specific brand name by just 15 of the pharmacists in the study, at an average frequency of twice a month. Nature Made Vitamins was the only brand selected by name, with 30% of respondents saying they recommend it specifically. (By comparison, 82% of respondents selected "other" as the brand they recommend most often.) Nature Made Vitamins (Pharmavite Corp.) 30% Garlic Among study participants, just 23% are likely to suggest a particular brand of garlic product, though they report doing so about four times an average month. Garlique (Sun Source) 26% Nature Made Vitamins (Pharmavite Corp.) 19 Nature's Bounty (NBTY Inc.) 10 Ginseng Only 22% of the pharmacists in the survey said they recommend ginseng products by brand name, steering patients toward one or another three times a month. Nature Made Vitamins (Pharmavite Corp.) 30% Nature's Bounty (NBTY Inc.) 15 Kava kava Kava kava, which reportedly can have a calming effect when taken, doesn't seem to instill much excitement among the pharmacists in the study, as just 17% said they recommend a particular brand three times a month, on average. Nature Made Vitamins (Pharmavite Corp.) 25% Echinacea Echinacea was recommended by brand name by just 22% of the study participants. Particular echinacea makers benefit from pharmacist suggestions about five times in an average month. Nature's Bounty (NBTY Inc.) 17% Nature Made Vitamins (Pharmavite Corp.) 17 Saw palmetto Though well publicized via discussions on prostate health, saw palmetto is recommended by brand name just three times a month by 26% of the pharmacists who responded to our survey. Nature's Resource Vitamins (Pharmavite Corp.) 17% Nature Made Vitamins (Pharmavite Corp.) 14

OTHER OTCs

Adhesive bandages About 41% of the pharmacists in the Drug Topics study make brand-specific recommendations for adhesive bandages six times in an average month. Johnson & Johnson (Johnson & Johnson) 57% Band-Aid (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products) 34 Curad (Kendall Health Care Products) 24 Adult incontinence products Adult incontinence products are recommended by brand name about three times a month by 37% of our pharmacist population. Depend (Kimberly-Clark) 84% Attends (Procter & Gamble) 18 Serenity (Johnson & Johnson/Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals) 12 Contact lens solutions Only about one-quarter (26%) of pharmacists in the study recommend contact lens solutions by brand name, doing so three times over the course of an average month. Bausch & Lomb (Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals Inc.) 46% Renu (Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals Inc.) 28 Boston (Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals Inc.) 16 Alcon (Alcon Laboratories Inc.) 12 Complete (Allergan Inc.) 10 Contraceptives (male) Thirty-seven percent of our study participants recommend male contraceptive products, but they do so only twice a month on average. Trojans (Carter-Wallace Inc.) 98% Lifestyle Condoms (Ansell Medical) 12 Contraceptives (female) Only about half as many pharmacists make brand-specific recommendations for female contraceptive products as they do for male products (18% versus 37%, respectively). They do so about three times in an average month. Encare (Thompson Medical Co.) 42% Conceptrol (Advanced Care/Ortho Consumer Products) 30 Delfen Foam (Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical) 23 Diet/weight-loss aids Diet and weight-loss aids are recommended by brand four times a month by 29% of the pharmacists who took part in the survey. Dexatrim (Chattem Consumer Products) 68% Slim-Fast (Slim-Fast Foods Co.) 32 Acutrim (Heritage Consumer Products) 14 Ear drops Approximately 56% of the pharmacists who participated said they recommend ear drops by brand name four times per month. Debrox (SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals) 66% Murine (Ross Products Division) 38 Enteral nutritional products Nationwide, 40% of pharmacists make brand-specific suggestions on enteral nutritional products three times a month, according to the study. Ensure (Ross Laboratories) 93% Boost (Mead Johnson & Co.) 14 Sustacal (Mead Johnson & Co.) 12 Ensure Plus (Ross Laboratories) 10 Eyedrops Most pharmacists (66%) do recommend specific brands of eyedrops for their patients, doing so about five times a month, on average. Visine (Pfizer Inc., Consumer Health Care Group) 35% Naphcon-A Solution (Alcon Laboratories Inc.) 22 Opcon-A Solution (Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals Inc.) 18 Tears Naturale Lubricant Eye Drops (Alcon Laboratories Inc.) 13 Murine (Ross Products Division) 12 Hair-replacement therapy Only 26% of the pharmacists in the study offer brand-specific suggestions for hair-replacement therapies, and even they do so only about twice a month. Rogaine Extra Strength (Pharmacia & Upjohn Co.) 91% Homeopathic preparations There's an interesting dichotomy in this product category. While just 15% of pharmacists said they make specific brand-name recommendations for homeopathic preparations, that 15% reported making such recommendations about 17 times in an average month. Just as curiously, only one brand was selected by name: Hyland's Teething is most often recommended by 20% of the pharmacists, while 80% selected "other." Hyland's Teething (P&S Laboratories Inc.) 20% Infant oral rehydration solutions About two-thirds (65%) of pharmacists reported that they do recommend specific brands of infant oral rehydration solutions, roughly three times a month. Pedialyte Solution (Ross Laboratories) 98% Sleeping aids Fifty-two percent of the pharmacists who responded to the survey said they suggest particular brands of sleeping aids to their patients, about four times in an average month. Benadryl (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 42% Unisom (Pfizer Inc., Consumer Health Care Group) 39 Sominex (SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals) 25 Tylenol PM (McNeil Consumer Products Co.) 20 Nytol (Block Drug Co.) 10 Smoking-cessation products Pharmacists seem to promote smoking cessation among their patients, as 73% said they do make brand-specific recommendations in this category about four times in an average month. Nicoderm CQ (SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare) 84% Nicorette Gum (SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare) 48 Nicotrol (McNeil Consumer Products Co.) 13 Snoring remedies Snoring remedies are recommended by brand just twice a month by just 39% of survey respondents. Breathe Right Nasal Strips (CNS Inc.) 90%

TOPICAL DERMATOLOGICALS

Vaginal antifungals More than half of the pharmacists who responded to the survey (56%) said they recommend brand-name vaginal antifungals an average of four times a month. Monistat (Advanced Care Products) 72% Gyne-Lotrimin (Schering-Plough HealthCare Products) 22 Vaginal moisturizers Only 31% of the pharmacists in the study make brand-specific recommendations for vaginal moisturizers. They do so about twice a month, on average. K-Y Jelly (Johnson & Johnson) 53% Replens (Columbia Laboratories) 48 AstroGlide (Biofilm Inc.) 11 Acne preparations/treatments About 40% of the pharmacists participating in the survey reported recommending acne preparations and treatments four times a month. Clearasil (Procter & Gamble) 56% Oxy 10 Max. Strength (SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals) 28 Neutrogena (Neutrogena) 12 Oxy 5 Tinted (SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals) 11 Athlete's foot remedies Most pharmacists recommend athlete's foot remedies, though not all that frequently; 71% said they do so five times a month. Lamisil (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 61% Lotrimin AF/Lotrimin (Schering-Plough HealthCare Products) 55 Tinactin (Schering-Plough HealthCare Products) 25 Micatin (McNeil Consumer Healthcare) 11 Baby powders Baby powders seem to be on the low end of the recommendation scale, with just 22% of the study participants reporting they make four recommendations per month. Johnson & Johnson (Johnson & Johnson) 75% Canker/cold sore remedies There must be a lot of patients roaming the aisles with sore mouths, since 77% of the pharmacists who responded to the survey said they recommend remedies for canker or cold sores five times in an average month. Zilactin Medicated (Zila Pharmaceuticals Inc.) 29% Herpecin-L (Chattem Consumer Products) 23 Carmex (Carma) 17 Kank-A (Blistex Inc.) 14 Orabase-B (Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals Inc.) 11 Anbesol (Whitehall-Robins Healthcare) 11 Diaper rash remedies More than half of our respondents (55%) point customers to specific brand-name diaper rash remedies about three times per month. Desitin (Pfizer Inc., Consumer Health Care Group) 52% A&D Ointment (Schering-Plough HealthCare Products) 33 Balmex (Block Drug Co.) 16 Jock itch remedies About 59% of the pharmacists who responded to our survey said they point customers toward brand-name jock itch remedies four times in an average month. Lotrimin AF/Lotrimin (Schering-Plough HealthCare Products) 62% Lamisil (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 25 Tinactin (Schering-Plough HealthCare Products) 21 Micatin (Pharmacia & Upjohn Co.) 17 Cruex (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 14 Pediculicides Approximately 61% of pharmacists make brand-name pediculicide recommendations to patients four times per month. Nix (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 84% Rid (Pfizer Inc., Consumer Health Care Group) 59 Poison ivy treatments While we don't know whether pharmacists are likely to remind patients not to scratch parts of their skin infected with poison ivy, our survey showed that 63% of them do offer brand-name suggestions four times a month. Ivy-Dry (Ivy Corp.) 28% Caladryl (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 20 Rhuli Gel (Rydelle Laboratories) 19 Cortaid (Pharmacia & Upjohn Co.) 17 Tecnu Poison Oak-N-Ivy Armor (Tec Laboratories Inc.) 12 Benadryl (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 11 Hydrocortisone (various) 10 Skin moisturizers About 63% of the pharmacists who participated said they recommend specific skin moisturizers five times in an average month. Eucerin (Beiersdorf Inc.) 54% Lubriderm (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 24 Neutrogena (Neutrogena) 13 Vaseline Intensive Care (Chesebrough-Ponds) 11 Moisturel Lotion/Cr?me (Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals) 10 Suntan/sunscreen products Despite all the warnings and increased public awareness about skin damage caused by the sun, just 36% of the pharmacists who responded said they suggest specific suntan/sunscreen products five times a month, on average. Coppertone (Schering-Plough HealthCare Products) 42% Presun (Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.) 17 Banana Boat (Playtex Co.) 12 Topical anesthetics Our nationwide survey showed that 42% of pharmacists recommend topical anesthetics three times a month. Lanacane (Combe Inc.) 27% Solarcaine (Schering-Plough HealthCare Products) 25 Dermoplast (Medtech Laboratories Inc.) 13 Americaine Ointment (Novartis Consumer Health Inc.) 10 Topical anti-infectives Pharmacists have ample opportunity to recommend brand-name topical anti-infectives, as 52% told us they do so eight times a month, on average. Neosporin (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 84% Polysporin Ointment (Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare) 28 Bacitracin (various) 13 Wart removers Pharmacists may accept their patients, warts and all, but they're also more than willing to help them by offering suggestions on wart removers; 61% of survey participants said they point customers to particular brand-name products three times a month. Compound W (Medtech Laboratories Inc.) 49% Duofilm (Schering-Plough HealthCare Products) 30 Mediplast (Beiersdorf Inc.) 16 Dr. Scholl's (Schering-Plough HealthCare Products) 14 Wrinkle creams Just 15% of the pharmacists who responded to the survey make specific recommendations when it comes to wrinkle creams. Those who do make suggestions do so four times a month, on average. Neutrogena (Neutrogena) 32% Alpha Hydroxy (St. Ives Labs) 22 Nivea (Beiersdorf Inc.) 16

VITAMINS

Adult vitamins Not surprisingly, 63% of pharmacists point patients toward particular brands of vitamins nine times per month. Centrum (Lederle Consumer Health Division) 86% One-A-Day (Bayer Corp., Consumer Care Division) 13 Children's vitamins Only about half of the pharmacists participating (49%) said they recommend a particular brand of OTC children's vitamins in an average month. Those who do, however, do so about seven times a month. Flintstones (Bayer Corp., Consumer Care Division) 58% Poly-Vi-Sol Tablets (Mead Johnson & Co.) 22 Centrum (Lederle Consumer Health Division) 17 Centrum Junior (Lederle Consumer Health Division) 14

 

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