Catching on to cold and flu stories

Coughing. Aching. Stuffy head. Fever.

Those sniffles, sneezes and groans that cold and flu season elicit translate to “cha-ching!” for more than a few industries.

Over-the-counter remedies alone are a $4 billion a year business, according to statistics from the press room of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), a lobbying and trade group. They say 77 percent of Americans each year take an OTC medication for common respiratory ailments.

If you cover the pharmaceutical, health care or drug store industry, the CHPA Web site is a handy resource for factoids, industry and legislative trends, and more.
Another source: Drug Store News, which offers a daily news feed about the retail drugstore and pharmacy business, including sub-categories like OTC meds, consumables, health and beauty sales, and so on.

Did you know, for example, that CVS recently opened its 7,000th store? No wonder it seems like they’re everywhere – they are.

Another industry quirk: Did you know there actually is an official cold & flu remedy for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games? Sure is.

Other business trends that benefit when we get sick: The emerging business of walk-in clinics at drug and general merchandise stores. How are they competing with established medical centers, doctors’ offices and other low-cost clinics. The American Pharmacists Association offers a training program that – Certified Immunization Pharmacists – so that drug store personnel can deliver flu shots and other vaccines on the spot.

Then there is the plethora of offbeat remedies, like zinc-loaded gumballs and other cold-prevention products found at the checkout stands of convenience stores. Herbal remedies and preventatives are still popular, with many Web sites marketing immune-system strengtheners that purport to keep you healthy all year.

If your beat includes pharmaceutical makers, ask about their cold and flu segment and what’s in the pipeline. Don’t overlook generic and private label makers, who don’t get the same attention from Wall Street but nevertheless make fascinating business features.

To get you started, here is a list from Thomas Publishing Co. of some 80 private-label drug makers nationwide; not all necessarily manufacture cold or flu remedies but if one is in your region, give them a call to see what their big winter sellers are. Supplements? Analgesics? Cough drops?

Even makers of more pedestrian goods like tissues, sports drinks, hand sanitizer, thermometers and chicken soup can add color and amusing factoids to your winter illness story.

Or, take a work-life perspective: Talk with HR managers and others about how a severe cold and flu season contributes to absenteeism, productivity loss, etc. Do staffing firms benefit? Does a flu outbreak reduce traffic in malls and shopping districts? A number of industry groups are strategizing on how to cope with an unusually difficult flu year. The American Hotel and Lodging Association, for example, has prepared this page on H1NI management for hotels.

Come back to Your Daily Tipsheet each morning for advice on where to find sources, background and creative ways to make financial news and trends relevant to your audience.