CRANBURY, N.J., June 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pharmacy Times®, the leading multimedia resource serving pharmacy professionals for 126 years, today released a comprehensive annual list of the top-recommended over-the-counter (OTC) health products for 2023. Now in its 27th year, The OTC Guide® provides recommendations on more than 800 OTC brands across 149 product categories, based on the recommendations of 3,248 surveyed pharmacists.
The OTC Guide is a go-to peer-to-peer resource that highlights pharmacists’ perspectives on self-care options that enable consumers to treat acute ailments and illness, as well as support their overall wellness with vitamins, minerals and other supplements.
The OTC Guide is laid out in an easy-to-use color-coded format, with charts that break down recommendations within each category as well as editorial articles related to the use and management of OTC products. New this year, the survey also included a “Nerve Health” category under “Vitamins and Dietary Supplements,” with 54% of pharmacists choosing the brand Nervive over other products.
“For the last several decades, people have relied on pharmacists for expert counsel and recommendations, and that demand has grown in recent years due to the physician shortage in this country,” said Gil Hernandez, Vice President, with Pharmacy Times. “Our team at Pharmacy Times is proud to continue publishing this comprehensive guide of pharmacist recommendations, and we thank the thousands of pharmacists who took the time out of their busy schedules to complete the survey.”
Pharmacists play a key role in improving patient outcomes by providing counsel on daily self-care habits, such as proper hygiene, healthy diet, exercise and other activities. Consumers often view their pharmacist as the most accessible and trusted health care provider of the critical services and information they need, such as patient education, medication dispensing, vaccinations, recommendations for OTC medications, and medication management.
The survey also revealed that OTC recommendations by pharmacists have skyrocketed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising to 247,000 in 2023 from 179,000 in 2020 – a 45% increase. This is likely a reflection of the continuing popularity of self-care. A patient’s quality of life can be improved by addressing their self-care needs and certain OTC products can assist in their personal regimen.
“The interest in self-care continues to be strong and OTC products play a key role in people’s focus on managing their own well-being and health conditions,” said Hernandez. “The OTC Guide gives consumers a trustworthy resource to support their self-care, as pharmacists themselves are among our most relied upon healthcare professionals.”
The top pharmacist-recommended categories highlighted in The OTC Guide include:
- Cough cold flu
- Gastrointestinal
- Vitamins and dietary supplements
- First aid
The following brands have been the top recommended by pharmacists year over year for at least the last four years:
- Upset stomach remedies: Kaopectate
- Topical antibiotics/antiseptics: Neosporin
- Oral anti-inflammatory products: Advil
- Acid reducers: Prilosec OTC
- Cough/cold/flu combinations, nighttime: Nyquil
- Cough suppressants: Delsym
- Multivitamins: Centrum
Pharmacy Times evaluates pharmacists’ insights and preferences through an annual research program conducted by HRA® – Healthcare Research and Analytics, a consultative health care market research practice.
For more information, visit Facebook or Twitter using #OTCGuide or check out the 2023 edition of The OTC Guide to access the rankings and search pharmacist recommendations by symptom, product or category.
About Pharmacy Times
Pharmacy Times® is the industry-leading multimedia pharmacy network of community, health system, oncology, and specialty pharmacy platforms, providing practical clinical and professional information pharmacists can use in their everyday practices when counseling patients and interacting with other health care providers. Each issue and the website contain articles and features covering industry trends, drug interactions, patient education, disease state management, patient counseling, product news, pharmacy law, and more. Additionally, Pharmacy Times Continuing Education™ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. Pharmacy Times® is a brand of MJH Life Sciences™, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.
Press Contact:
Lisa Trapani
RoseComm for MJH Life Sciences
ltrapani@rosecomm.com
410-245-0094
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/389c0eca-95d2-40b6-994d-15fb9da2f756
