PrintNEW YORK -- As the largest and most sought-after segment of the digestives and stomach remedies category, antacid tablets are critical to retailers' efforts in this area. After a slight decline last year, sales of these products have rebounded in recent months, increasing by about 3.4% in the 52 weeks ended September 6, according to Information Resources Inc. (IRI).
As is the case with so many other front-end health care products, the effects of the ongoing recession have changed the way shoppers look at antacids. While heartburn sufferers still prefer the H2 blockers that have come to redefine antacids in recent years, a greater number of them are opting for store brand versions of these medications, which has helped increase private label's market share to 29.5%, up from over 26% a year ago. In fact, with a 61.7% increase in sales, private label was one of only three of the top 15 brands in the segment to show a sales increase and was the main reason the market moved forward during the period. The private label gains came at the expense of the three products that have helped reshape the antacids market over the past few years.Dollar volume of Procter & Gamble Co.'s Prilosec, the top-selling brand, declined by more than 18% in the period, notes IRI, while sales for the Nos. 2 and 3 brands--Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Zantac 150 and Johnson & Johnson/ Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co.'s Pepcid AC--fell 7.3% and 7.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, one of the only other brands to show growth last year was Amerifit Brands Inc.'s Culturelle antacids, a product that taps into consumers' growing preference for formulas containing probiotics. ANTACID TABLETS TOTAL DOLLAR SALES * $1.12 bil. (+1.6%) DRUG STORES $592.4 mil. (+3.4%) Market Dollar Dollar sales LEADING BRANDS ** Share sales (000) % change Prilosec OTC 26.4% $156,413 -18.5% Zantac 150 6.6% 38,956 -7.3% Pepcid AC 4.7% 27,927 -7.1% Pepcid Complete 4.3% 25,197 -1.0% Gas X 4.2% 24,577 -1.5% Turns Extra Strength 2.9% 17,055 -0.3% Turns Ultra 2.4% 13,960 -1.2% Zantac 75 1.9% 11,270 -15.7% Rolaids 1.9% 10,931 -4.4% Beano 1.7% 10,314 -0.1% TOTAL UNIT SALES * 138.2 mil. (-3.4%) DRUG STORES 63.2 mil. (-2.1%) Avg. Price Unit Unit sales LEADING BRANDS ** Per Unit sales (000) % change Prilosec $19.26 8,120 -18.2% Tums Extra Strength 3.65 4,676 -2.2% Rolaids 2.83 3,855 -11.1% Zantac 150 10.91 3,569 -6.4% Gas X 6.97 3,525 -4.3% Turns Ultra 5.76 2,425 -6.1% Pepcid AC 12.48 2,237 -15.5% Turns Smoothies 3.46 1,905 -21.4% Pepcid Complete 13.30 1,895 -13.4% Tums 3.95 1,747 -8.8% * Total of drug stores, supermarkets and discount stores excluding Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ** In drug stores only. Private label products account for a 29.5% dollar share and a 29.9% unit share. Source: Information Resources Inc. For the 52 weeks ended September 6, 2009.