Habitrol
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Ciba-Geigy transfers marketing responsibility for the prescription nicotine transdermal patch from its Rx to its OTC sales force, effective Jan. 1, in anticipation of a switch to over-the-counter status. Ciba said its smoking cessation product is in clinical trials to support OTC marketing. Habitrol sales since its 1991 launch have totaled $450 mil. in the U.S., although Ciba noted that the nicotine replacement category has declined in recent years. In a similar move, Marion Merrell Dow transferred marketing responsibility for its prescription Nicorette gum to SmithKline Beecham's consumer products group last January ("The Tan Sheet" Aug. 23, 1993, p. 1). MMD markets an Rx patch as well. Also last January, McNeil Consumer acquired U.S. and Canadian marketing rights to the Nicotrol prescription patch from Warner-Lambert