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In the heartburn wars: speed vs. endurance.(CR health)
Negative advertising is not just for political candidates. Makers of over-the-counter (OTC) heartburn remedies are battling for their share of the more than $1.2 billion-a-year market with ads claiming superiority over named competitors and lawsuits charging false advertising.
For example, in a TV spot that claims "nothing's faster" than Turns, a woman says competitor famotidine (Pepcid AC) "takes, like, 40 minutes to start working." Another competitor, omeprazole (Prilosec OTC), "can take one to four days to fully kick in," says a man in the ad. "Delayed release--it should say delayed relief."
Ads for Prilosec OTC--approved as a nonprescription drug last June- claimed, "One pill can relieve heartburn for 24 hours." The ads were "false," lawyers for rival Pepcid AC charged in a U.S. District Court. The judge slapped a preliminary injunction on the ad claims in September, and that order was upheld in December. Prilosec's maker has now revised the ads.
It's enough to give you heartburn as you try to choose among products that treat the problem in different ways. Your basic choice is usually between products Pepcid AC and others, such as nizatidine (Axid AR) and ranitidine (Zantac 75), are [H.sub.2] blockers, which impede histamine, a powerful stimulator of stomach-acid secretion. They can prevent heartburn for up to 10 hours, but can take up to an hour to start working. So [H.sub.2] blockers are the best choice if you take them before a meal that might spark an attack.
Prilosec OTC is a proton pump inhibitor, which keeps the stomach lining from pumping acid into the stomach. Inhibitors are the most effective heartburn drugs, but they can take days to reduce acid levels, so they must be used regularly. They're best for treating chronic or frequent attacks.
Tums and other antacids are best for treating an attack that's under way and are usually sufficient for people with only occasional heartburn.
In September 2002, CONSUMER REPORTS tested 16 antacids. They all started neutralizing stomach acid within a minute or so. But we round differences in how long a maximum dose would last. The longest-acting products included:
- Popular heartburn drug Prilosec OTC leaves shelves in Savannah, Ga.
- Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News August 13, 2004 700+ words
...popular heartburn tablets, Prilosec OTC. Most pharmacies in Savannah...has customers asking for Prilosec OTC. The pharmacy orders it...heartburn treatments include Pepcid AC, Mylanta, Zantac. But Prilosec OTC is in a different class...
- PRILOSEC OTC SALES LIKELY TO TOP ESTIMATE.(Business)
- Newspaper article from: The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH) March 19, 2004 700+ words
...next month when it expects to receive a report on the first six months of sales. Prilosec OTC is locked in a vigorous competition with the acid reducers Pepcid AC, Zantac and Tagamet in the larger, $1.8 billion market for antacids.
- P&G plans big budget for Prilosec OTC.(News)(Proctor & Gamble receives approval...
- Magazine article from: Medical Marketing & Media Leibman, Milton August 1, 2003 700+ words
...Because of safety studies performed, Prilosec OTC will have three years of exclusivity...available. Competitors include Pepcid AC, with an estimated $83 million...heartburn fast, in contrast to Prilosec OTC, which can take one to four days...
- Success of P&G's Prilosec OTC sets off resurgence in category.(DIGESTIVES)
- Magazine article from: Chain Drug Review Monks, Richard October 9, 2006 700+ words
...Resources Inc., sales of Prilosec OTC soared to slightly more...the period. Sales of Prilosec OTC are now more than twice...Consumer Phaermaceuticals' Pepcid AC. That performance helped...has heavily advertised Prilosec OTC, an effort that has...
- P&G's Prilosec OTC provides a shot in the arm.(Digestives)
- Magazine article from: Chain Drug Review Walden, Geoff November 8, 2004 700+ words
...Gamble Co.'s (P&G's) Prilosec OTC lifted drug store sales of antacid tablets...Procter & Gamble 30.5% $133,768 Pepcid AC J&J/Merck 9.2% 40,303...758 Rolaids Pfizer 8.4% 4,974 Pepcid AC J&J/Merck 8.4% 4,946 Zantac...
- PRILOSEC OTC TO BOOST P&G SALES.(Business)
- Newspaper article from: The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH) Coolidge, Alexander September 5, 2003 700+ words
...volume for boosting results, particularly early demand for Prilosec OTC, which is set to launch Sept. 15. The company said initial...more advanced than other heartburn drugs such as Zantac and Pepcid AC because it prevents the acid from jumping out of the stomach...
- ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY, JOHNSON & JOHNSON MERCK REPORTS PEPCID AC IS THE LARGEST...
- Press release article from: PR Newswire April 22, 1996 700+ words
...Pharmaceuticals today reported that sales of PEPCID AC(R) Acid Controller(TM) have set...OTC switch product to date. "When PEPCID AC became available it essentially redefined...benefits can also explain the success of PEPCID AC among consumers." Within just four...
- IN HEARTBURN WARS, PEPCID AC ADVERTISING IS FIRST CASUALTY COURT ORDER REQUIRES...
- Press release article from: PR Newswire October 13, 1995 700+ words
...amp;J/Merck's heartburn product Pepcid AC must be immediately taken off the air...Beecham's position that advertising for Pepcid AC included a number of significantly false...lawsuit challenging the accuracy of these Pepcid AC claims. In court proceedings, J&...