OTC Guide: 19 Years Strong!

Since 1997, Pharmacy Times has been calculating pharmacists’ OTC recommendations and publishing an annual survey.

The purpose of our survey is to collect current data on the OTC brands pharmacists recommend most frequently and to ascertain the number of recommendations pharmacists make each month as they work with patients and counsel them on health conditions.

In their daily practice, pharmacists across the country make more than 140 million recommendations to their patients on a monthly basis. As the most accessible, and among the most trusted, health care providers, pharmacists play a key role in their patients’ health and wellness through counseling and product recommendations. Pharmacists are truly a constant source of health care information for the public.

The Pharmacy Times OTC survey has grown each year since its launch in 1997 when a total of 85 therapeutic categories were included. This year, we surveyed 14 distinct health sections and covered 175 therapeutic categories. As the OTC market has grown, Pharmacy Times has responded by adding new health sections and new OTC products to the survey. As new therapeutic categories develop and the OTC market continues to evolve, Pharmacy Times will concurrently expand its survey.

Now, for the fourth year, the Pharmacy Times OTC survey will be available to consumers through a special collaboration with U.S. News & World Report. The results of the survey will be available on the U.S. News & World Report website, along with useful articles for the consumer, many of them contributed by Pharmacy Times. Visit http://health.usnews.com/healthproducts.

In addition to the valuable charts that summarize the OTC products most often recommended by pharmacists in 14 distinct health areas, this edition of the OTC Guide includes a number of articles related to the use and management of OTC products. This issue provides articles that focus on the latest information on supplements, allergies, and medication safety.

Our OTC Guide features an easy-to-use format that provides pharmacists with OTC product information at their fingertips. The color-coded guide is organized for easy access to the multitude of OTC brands that pharmacists recommend on a daily basis. The Table of Contents can be found on page 2, each health section is highlighted, and in-depth product charts are found throughout the guide.

These OTC product recommendations can also be found at www.OTCGuide.net, where the information is searchable both by category and product name. Designed for use by pharmacists and patients, OTCGuide.net helps users navigate the latest OTC products.