Schering-Plough to launch ‘lens’-shaped oral ulcer cure

A mouth ulcer remedy shaped like a contact lens has been developed by global pharmaceutical manufacturer Schering-Plough Consumer Health.

The innovation will be marketed under the established Rinstead brand, and will be called Rinstead Contact. Consumers place the tiny antiseptic disc over an ulcer to bring pain relief.

It is scheduled to launch this July, though no final date has been set. Schering-Plough refuses to supply details of the product’s launch campaign.

The Rinstead range already comprises Adult Gel, Pastilles and Teething Gel (for babies). These products include medicines to protect against infection and to numb the pain of mouth ulcers or teething.

Rinstead’s main rival is Bonjela, part of the Reckitt & Colman portfolio. The oral lesion/teething gels market in the 52 weeks ending on May 3, 1998 was worth 10.3m. This compares with 9.3m in the same period in the previous year, according to Taylor Nelson AGB.

Last summer Rinstead launched a poster campaign to target young people with its Pastilles variant. This followed research which showed that young people’s lifestyles, with late nights and work stress, mean a substantial proportion of mouth ulcer sufferers are young.

Colgate Total is about to knock Procter & Gamble’s Crest from its number one slot in the US toothpaste market, according to research from Datamonitor. Crest has been US market leader for 30 years.