A new pharmacy opportunity
January 20, 2011
THE rescheduling of Johnson &
Johnson Pacific’s proton pump
inhibitor, Pariet 10, from S4 to S3 is
an “exciting opportunity new for
pharmacists”, according to
Brendan O’Loughlin of
O’Loughlin’s Pharmacy in St Ives.
Previously only available on
prescription, Pariet 10 features the
active ingredient rabeprazole,
which works to relieve the
symptoms of heartburn, indigestion
and reflux by suppressing the acid
production of the hydrogenpotassium-
ATPase enzyme system
(the “proton pump” responsible for
producing stomach acid).
As such, stomach acid levels are
reduced by up to 95%, allowing just
enough for proper digestion.
Pariet 10 differs to other OTC
antacids and H2As’ on the market
because although it takes longer to
work (between 2-3 hours), it
provides the highest reduction in
acid levels, and the longest period
of relief (around 24 hours).
“I see the launch of Pariet 10 as
a real opportunity for pharmacy to
grow the category of heartburn,
reflux and indigestion, as well as
pharmacies role in the treatment of
those conditions,” said O’Loughlin.
According to J&J Pacific around
38% of the population suffer from
either heartburn, reflux or
indigestion, the majority of whom
are either not treating their
symptoms at all or are self
medicating with OTC products
bought in supermarkets.
“Patients are self selecting OTC
treatments when they’re not really
aware of the full range available,
and pharmacists and pharmacy
assistants need to be getting out
and having conversations with
consumers,” O’Loughlin said.
“Pharmacy is uniquely positioned
in the retail environment in that it is
a lot more accessible than many
other healthcare providers, and so
there is a real opportunity for
pharmacists to identify patients who
are under treating, or mistreating,
and then improving their health
outcomes and the long term
benefits that those patients get.
“There’s a huge community of
patients that are walking in your
door that you really need to be
talking to,” he added.
Speaking to PD yesterday J&J
Pacific said that the launch of OTC
PPIs presents Aussie pharmacists
with a significant growth opportunity,
with current OTC PPIs in the US
taking a 40% slice of the heartburn,
reflux and indigestion market.
Closer to home, the OTC PPI market
in NZ grew by 26% in nine months.
J&J Pacific is supporting the
downscheduling move by providing
pharmacists and pharmacy
assistants with a “full suite of Pariet
10 educational and promotional
materials”, including point-of-sale
and shelf materials designed to aid
pharmacy staff initiate a dialogue
about the product.
The pharmacy launch pack will
also include educational materials
and will be delivered to pharmacies
by a J&J team or sent to pharmacies
in the mail, over the coming weeks.
In addition, J&J Pacific’s online
educational system for pharmacy
assistants (JJET) will feature
information on the digestive
system, related conditions and
different treatments available in
pharmacy, as well as info on PPIs.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 20 Jan 11To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 20 Jan 11
