U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, and Pharmacy Times®, the leading multimedia resource for the pharmacy industry, today released the 2019 Top Recommended Health Products. Advil remains the No. 1 pick among pharmacists for treating headaches, while Zyrtec and Children’s Claritin are new favorites for allergy relief in 2019.
Now in its 23rd year, the OTC Guide® provides recommendations from thousands of pharmacists for nearly 800 over-the-counter brands across 135 product categories, giving pharmacists and patients a trusted resource to promote wellness, prevent and treat acute ailments and illnesses, and manage more complex conditions to improve patient outcomes.
With allergy symptoms still lingering and summer just around the corner, the list of top-recommended over-the-counter products helps consumers and their families stay healthy during any getaway. The No. 1 pharmacist recommended brands include:
- Sun Burn Relief: Solarcaine
- Headache: Advil
- Antihistamines (Oral): Zyrtec
- Cough Suppressant: Delsym
- Insect Bite and Sting Management: After Bite
- Bandages, Covers and Gauze: Band-Aid
- Topical Antibiotics/Antiseptics: Neosporin
- Flu: DayQuil Cold & Flu
- Antacids: TUMS
To keep children healthy year-round, the 2019 top-recommended health products for common ailments like allergies, sore throat and cough include:
- Children’s Allergy: Children’s Claritin
- Children’s Cough: Children’s Delsym
- Children’s Analgesic: Children’s Tylenol
- Children’s Sore Throat: Chloraseptic Kids Sore Throat Spray
- Children’s Cough/Cold Combination: Children’s Dimetapp
2019’s picks feature at-home testing products, including: the Omron digital thermometer, First Check cholesterol test and Omron blood pressure monitors.
“For three decades, consumers have turned to U.S. News to seek credible, quality rankings and information when making important health-care decisions,” said Angela Haupt, Assisting Managing Editor of Health at U.S. News. “Combining in-depth analysis and trusted journalism with the expertise of Pharmacy Times empowers consumers and their families with professional recommendations so the next trip to the drugstore is more informed and less overwhelming.”
Troy Trygstad, Pharm.D., Ph.D., MBA, Pharmacy Times® editor-in-chief, added: “We are proud to once again collaborate with U.S. News to offer the results of the survey to a larger audience and we appreciate the time and effort our pharmacists put in to share their recommendations. The OTC Guide® allows consumers access to trusted pharmacist insights on over-the-counter products.”
U.S. News and Pharmacy Times® began collaborating in 2012 to bring pharmacist recommendations to consumers nationwide. Pharmacy Times® evaluates pharmacists’ insights and preferences through an annual research program conducted by HRA®–Healthcare Research and Analytics, a consultative health care market research practice. Through the U.S. News website, health.usnews.com/health-products, consumers have an easy and searchable way to access the information produced by pharmacists’ recommendations. U.S. News displays brands that received at least 1% of pharmacists’ votes, but only awards a “No. 1 Pharmacist Recommended Brand” designation to the top-ranked product in each category.
For more information, visit Facebook or Twitter using #OTCGuide, or otcguide.net to access the rankings and search pharmacist recommendations by symptom, product or category.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A digital news and information company focused on Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars and Civic, USNews.com provides consumer advice, rankings and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
