OTC Guide: 28 Years Strong

This year marks the 28th year of the annual OTC Guide®, in which Pharmacy Times® surveys pharmacists for their OTC recommendations and publishes the results.

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Since 1997, Pharmacy Times has compiled these results to collect the most up-to-date information about which brands pharmacists recommend most often to patients. As the most accessible health care providers, pharmacists are the first line for myriad common illnesses, from urinary tract infections to coughs and colds.

In their daily practice, pharmacists across the US make more than 140 million recommendations per month, highlighting their crucial role in patients’ lives and wellbeing. Providing counseling and product recommendations underlines pharmacists’ constant drive to be a trusted, reliable source of information for the public.

The Pharmacy Times OTC Guide survey has grown each year since its launch in 1997 with 85 therapeutic categories. This year, we surveyed pharmacists on 15 distinct health sections and covered 149 therapeutic categories. As the OTC market has grown and patients have increasingly turned to pharmacies, Pharmacy Times has responded by adding new health sections and OTC products to the survey. As new therapeutic categories emerge, Pharmacy Times will continue to expand the survey.

In addition to the valuable data summarizing the OTC products most recommended by pharmacists, this edition of the OTC Guide includes a number of articles discussing pharmacists’ roles in the use and management of OTC products. In particular, articles in this issue focus on cold and cough products, contraception, vitamins, pain management, women’s health, pediatrics, first aid, and more.

Our OTC Guide has an easy-to-use format that provides pharmacists with up-to-date OTC product information. The color-coded guide is organized for easy access to the multitude of conditions that pharmacists counsel patients on every day, as well as the countless OTC brands that pharmacists recommend. 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 results can also be found online at https://pharmacytimes.com/otcguide, where the information is searchable by both category and product name. Designed for use by pharmacists, this site helps you keep the latest products and information at your fingertips.