U.S. News & World Report and Pharmacy Times® Reveal Top-Recommended Health Products in the 2022 Edition of The OTC Guide®

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, and Pharmacy Times®, the leading multimedia resource for pharmacy professionals, today released the top recommended health products for 2022. CeraVe ranked as pharmacists’ No. 1 choice for treating eczema.

Now in its 26th year, The OTC Guide®, published by Pharmacy Times®, provides recommendations from pharmacists on more than 800 over-the-counter (OTC) brands across 149 product categories, 136 of which U.S. News also publishes. With recommendations from their peers, The OTC Guide® is a go-to resource pharmacists and other health care professionals can use to prevent and treat acute ailments and illness, promote wellness and self-care, and assist patients in managing complex conditions.

Pharmacists continue to serve as trusted health care providers by offering critical services, such as patient education, medication dispensing, vaccinations, recommendations for OTC medications, and medication management. Pharmacists also play a key role in improving patient outcomes by providing counsel on daily self-care habits, such as proper hygiene, healthy diet, exercise and other activities. A patient’s quality of life can be improved by addressing their self-care needs and certain OTC products can assist in their personal regime.

“As patients increasingly focus on self-care, they turn to OTC products to help manage their conditions,” said Ed Cohen, Pharm.D., FAPhA, executive vice president of pharmacy advocacy for Pharmacy Times®. “The OTC Guide® gives consumers valuable insight into which over-the-counter products pharmacists know and recommend.”

The top pharmacist-recommended brands highlighted in The OTC Guide® include:

• Arthritis and Joint Pain: Voltaren Gel
• Cough, Cold and Flu Combinations for Daytime: DayQuil
• Cough, Cold and Flu Combinations for Nighttime: NyQuil
• Eczema: CeraVe
• Allergies: Claritin
• Upset Stomach: Pepto-Bismol
• Dry Mouth Therapy: Biotène
• Fiber Supplement: Metamucil

To keep children healthy year-round, the 2022 top-recommended health products for common ailments such as allergies, cough and cold, and sore throat include:

• Children’s Allergy: Children’s Claritin
• Children’s Cough and Cold: Children’s Tylenol Cold + Cough + Runny Nose
• Children’s Sore Throat: HALLS Kids Cough & Sore Throat Pops
• Children’s Topical Cough Suppressing Ointments: Vicks VapoRub

“Since the pandemic began, more Americans are paying closer attention to their symptoms and looking for easily accessible information about over-the-counter medications especially for allergies, coughs and headaches,” said Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News. “Our report on pharmacist choices in collaboration with Pharmacy Times® provides consumers with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about OTC medications in conjunction with medical professionals.”

“Pharmacists are the reliable sources for expert counsel and recommendations on appropriate OTC products. We at Pharmacy Times® are proud to be working with U.S. News again this year to share this comprehensive guide of pharmacist recommendations,” said Cohen. “We are also thankful for the time and effort pharmacists invested in completing the survey, especially as they continue to balance their time with COVID-19 priorities.”

U.S. News and Pharmacy Times® began collaborating in 2012 to bring pharmacist recommendations to consumers nationwide. Pharmacy Times® evaluates pharmacists' insights and preferences through an annual research program conducted by HRA® – Healthcare Research and Analytics, a consultative health care market research practice. Through U.S. News' Drugs & Treatments section, consumers have an easy and searchable way to access the information produced by pharmacists' recommendations. U.S. News displays brands that received at least 1% of pharmacists' votes but awards a No. 1 Pharmacist Recommended Brand designation only to the top-ranked product in each category.

For more information, visit Facebook or Twitter using #OTCGuide or check out the 2022 edition of The OTC Guide® to access the rankings and search pharmacist recommendations by symptom, product or category.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives and communities. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

About Pharmacy Times

Pharmacy Times® is the industry-leading multimedia pharmacy network of community, health system, oncology, and specialty pharmacy platforms, providing practical clinical and professional information pharmacists can use in their everyday practices when counseling patients and interacting with other health care providers. Each issue and the website contain articles and features covering industry trends, drug interactions, patient education, disease state management, patient counseling, product news, pharmacy law, and more. Additionally, Pharmacy Times Continuing Education™ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. Pharmacy Times® is a brand of MJH Life Sciences™, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

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