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Beyond Cough & Cold: OTC In the Age Of Prevention

Online

Two consecutive weak cough and cold seasons have significantly impacted the growth of the US OTC market. Cautious consumers, inflation and tariffs on imports have only compounded the problem.

Join our expert panel to explore whether the industry is too dependent on seasonal spikes — and what a prevention-first future could look like.

About the Webinar

Is the OTC sector too reliant on cough & cold season?

This HBW Insight-led webinar brings together Jefferies' David Hayes and CHPA's Scott Melville, with HBW Insight journalists David Ridley and Malcolm Spicer, to ask a blunt question: with two disappointing cough and cold seasons behind the industry, have OTC manufacturers built a structurally fragile growth model?

As consumers grow more interested in self-care and prevention, the panel will examine whether the consumer health industry is moving fast enough to meet that demand — and what regulatory change is needed to let companies bring genuinely new products to market.

Why this matters now

2
Consecutive weak cough & cold seasons weighing on US OTC market growth
4
Expert voices — investment, industry, regulation & editorial
5
Key questions explored live, from portfolio strategy to Rx-to-OTC switch
Questions we'll explore
  • How does the investment community assess the cough and cold exposure carried by the sector's largest players?
  • Have moves by the major consumer health players to diversify their portfolios into new product categories been effective, and what additional adjustments can be expected?
  • What is industry seeing on consumers' use of AI, and are there opportunities for businesses to capitalise on this trend?
  • How is the broader shift toward prevention and self-care reshaping the regulatory conversation, and is the current framework keeping pace with where consumers and companies want to go?
  • How is industry working to deal with regulatory and legislative headwinds that are slowing portfolio diversification, particularly when it comes to Rx-to-OTC switch?

Meet the Panel

Expert voices across investment, industry and editorial

Headshot of David Hayes.
David Hayes
Managing Director
Equity Research Jefferies
Headshot of Scott Melville.
Scott Melville
President & CEO
Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA)
headshot of David Ridley
David Ridley
Senior Editor
HBW Insight
Headshot of Malcolm Spicer.
Malcolm Spicer
US Consumer Health Managing Editor
HBW Insight
Headshot of Lucie Ellis-Taitt, Executive Director at In Vivo Citeline.
Lucie Ellis-Taitt
Editor-in-Chief
HBW Insight | In Vivo | Medtech Insight | Generics Bulletin
David Hayes
Managing Director
 Equity Research Jefferies
David Hayes joined Jefferies in October 2023 to cover the European food and home & personal care sectors. He has 20+ years of experience covering the staples sector, having previously held senior positions at Societe Generale and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Scott Melville
President & CEO
 Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA)
Scott Melville leads the Consumer Healthcare Products Association’s efforts to empower consumer self-care by preserving and expanding choice and availability of consumer healthcare products, including OTC medicines, dietary supplements and OTC medical devices.

Prior to joining CHPA, Melville served as senior vice president of government affairs and general counsel for the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (formerly HDMA), representing pharmaceutical wholesale distributors.
David Ridley
Senior Editor
 HBW Insight
Drawing on almost a decade of experience writing about consumer health, David closely follows emerging market trends, which he discusses with experts on HBW’s Over The Counter podcast. He regularly interviews industry leaders to deliver intelligence to HBW’s readers and has spoken at conferences including the AESGP Annual Meeting.
Malcolm Spicer
US Consumer Health Managing Editor
 HBW Insight
Malcolm has expertly covered the OTC drug and nutritional supplement industries and markets since 2006. He provides authoritative and analytical insight into how and why the US Food and Drug Administration regulates OTC drugs. Malcolm focuses on how companies competing in the consumer health industry can most efficiently and effectively comply with FDA regulations.
Lucie Ellis-Taitt
Editor-in-Chief
 HBW Insight | In Vivo | Medtech Insight | Generics Bulletin
Covering the biopharma space since 2012, Lucie writes feature articles on the topics of leadership, R&D, innovation and more. She also regularly attends industry events and moderates panel discussions on topics such as investment trends, women’s health and R&D hot topics. This year, Lucie took on the role of editor-in-chief for HBW Insight, In Vivo, Medtech Insight and Generics Bulletin.
Secure your place today

Register for free to join the live session or receive the on-demand recording after the event. All registrants will be notified once a date is confirmed.

  • Live Q&A with the expert panel
  • On-demand recording sent to all registrants
  • Free to attend — no subscription required
  • Hosted by HBW Insight, part of the Citeline network

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