Specialization hits multivitamins

Chain Drug Review, Feb 19, 2007

NEW YORK -- Historically the most popular and best-selling supplements on the market have been multivitamins.

The ability to get all of one's essential nutrients in a single tablet has made these products appealing to time-starved consumers and helped make sales in the segment one of the brightest spots in what in recent years has been a lackluster supplements market.

According to Information Resources Inc., drug store sales of multivitamins for the 52 weeks ended December 31 inched up 0.8% to $345.5 million, while overall mass market volume for the period dipped 0.1% to $676.9 million.

As the multivitamins market continues to mature, marketers have been looking for new ways to differentiate themselves from the other suppliers in the product segment.

One of the more unusual approaches has been the line of genetically specific vitamins introduced two years ago by GenSpec Labs LLC.

The products, executives say, address distinct health risks of people from different ethnic backgrounds. Three ethnic groups--African-Americans, Hispanics and Caucasians--are targeted, with separate men's and women's formulas available for each group.

Meanwhile, other suppliers are developing multivitamin products aimed at a very specific customer base.

"Everyone has different needs as far as the nutrients they need daily," says Dreama Kirby, director of marketing for Blaine Pharmaceutical, whose growing line of nutritional supplements includes a multivitamin for diabetes patients. "Women have different needs from men, and if you have a particular disease you need different nutrients."

The trend toward different multivitamins for different patient groups is growing.

Next month, for example, Pharmavite LLC will debut Nature Made Multivitamins for Optimized Nutrient Levels, a line of multivitamins based on gender and age. The line will include five formulations--Complete, Multi For Her, Multi For Him, Multi For Her 50 and Multi For Him 50 .

Nature Made scientific affairs and education director Carroll Reider says the impetus for creating the new line came from the company's realization that the one-size-fits-all approach that has dominated the multivitamins segment for so long was no longer valid.

Nature Made Multivitamins for Optimized Nutrient Levels, she says, start with the recommended daily allowance and then, based on nutritional science, are formulated with optimized nutrient levels for each targeted group.

Pharmavite's latest entry into the multivitamins segment builds on a trend that began years ago when suppliers of some of the most popular multivitamins began diversifying their lines.

Bayer Corp., for example, offers One-A-Day brand multivitamins in specific formulas for men and women as well as special formulas to enhance mental alertness, help manage weight and help control cholesterol and blood pressure.

Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, whose Centrum multivitamins consistently rank among the segment's top sellers, offers products across the entire age spectrum, including Centrum Performance, Centrum Silver for people over age 50 and a line of Centrum for Children vitamins.

MULTIVITAMINS

TOTAL DOLLAR SALES * $676.9 mil. (-0.1%)
DRUG STORES $345.5 mil. ( 0.8%)

                           Market   Dollar sales   Dollar sales
LEADING BRANDS **          share       (000)         % change

Centrum Silver              14.2%      $49,185          -0.5%
Centrum                      9.6%       33,231          -4.1%
One-A-Day                    4.9%       17,066           8.9%
Bausch & Lomb                3.5%       11,923          86.8%
Flintstones                  3.1%       10,613          23.5%
Ocuvite                      2.9%       10,188           7.2%
Ocuvite Preservision         2.9%       10,139          -4.6%
Nature Made                  2.9%        9,984          80.9%
Icaps                        2.7%        9,279          36.7%
One-A-Day Men's Health       2.5%        8,660          10.9%

TOTAL UNIT SALES * 78.7 mil. (-1.8%)
DRUG STORES 37.7 mil. (-1.3%)

                           Market    Unit sales     Unit sales
LEADING BRANDS **          share       (000)         % change

Centrum Silver              12.7%        4,801           0.7%
Centrum                      9.3%        3,514          -5.2%
One-A-Day Flintstones        5.7%        2,143           6.8%
Nature Made                  3.6%        1,348          29.2%
One-A-Day Men's Health       3.2%        1,192          93.0%
Ocuvite                      2.7%        1,008          10.0%
One-A-Day Weight Smart       2.1%          785           5.6%
Preservision                 2.0%          749         -18.3%
Centrum Performance          1.6%          609          79.4%
                             1.6%          599          10.3%

* Total of drug stores, supermarkets and discount stores excluding
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

** In drug stores only. Private label products account for a 26.5%
dollar share and a 33.6% unit share.

Source: information Resources Inc.

For the 52 weeks ended December 31, 2006.