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Pharmacy shelf cards for probiotics rolled out in effort to aid consumers
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Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals has announced a nationwide rollout of pharmacy shelf cards to better position its VSL#3 probiotics to make them more visible to consumers, according to a press release.
The VSL#3 line of live bacterial probiotics includes prescription and over-the-counter high-potency probiotic medical foods for management of irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis. Until now, the company has depended on physicians to recommend or prescribe the product to patients, but because it cannot be stored on the shelf it can be difficult for patients to find, the release said.
“Oftentimes consumers who come looking for VSL#3 are unaware the product must be kept refrigerated and is behind the pharmacy counter,” Mary Ocnean, Sigma-Tau group product director, said in the release. “The introduction of pharmacy cards for VSL#3 will help overcome this hurdle, and alleviate any disconnect between physicians recommending VSL#3 and the patients getting lost at the shelf when they don’t see the product.”
The rollout already has begun at select pharmacies nationwide and will continue through December.