Brand-name Products Research Articles

Global Trends of Botulinum Toxin Literature: A Bibliometric Analysis of Botulinum Toxin Publications Between 1975 and 2017.

Background:Botulinum toxin has been effectively used cosmetically and therapeutically for the last decades in a wide range of medical conditions. Although bibliometrics has been a popular and growing study area in recent years, medical literature lacks studies evaluating published botulinum toxin literature.Objective:The goal of our study was to evaluate bibliometric features and to perform a detailed trend analysis in the medical literature related to botulinum toxin.Materials and Methods:We analyzed all the published documents including the keywords “botulinum toxin” and “botulinum neurotoxin” and commercial brand names of botulinum toxin products between 1975 and 2017. We performed a detailed bibliometric and scientometric assessment in this field.Results:A total of 24,948 articles were retrieved from four databases provided by Web of Science, and most of which were original articles (76.19%). The United States ranked first and dominated literature with 8,729 documents (34.29%) followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy (14.61%, 11.18%, and 5.5%, respectively). The United Kingdom was detected to be the most productive country with the highest productivity (55.09) followed Switzerland, Denmark, and Germany (47.7, 34.01, and 33.98, respectively). The most studied area was neurology (56.1%) and University of California System was the most productive institution. We noted no correlation between publication number and citations by year.Conclusion:We found that all top 10 authors and institutions were from developed countries. Physician from developing and the least-developed countries should be supported to carry out novel studies on botulinum toxin.

The High Cost of Insulin in the United States: An Urgent Call to Action

The High Cost of Insulin in the United States: An Urgent Call to Action

Investing in Ex Ante Regulation: Evidence from Pharmaceutical Patent Examination

The debate surrounding escalating prescription drug prices has increasingly focused on the legitimacy of the practice of brand-name manufacturers receiving patent protection on peripheral features of the drug such as the route of administration, as opposed to just the active-ingredient itself. The key question is whether these later-obtained, secondary patents protect novel features and represent true innovation or, instead, provide little to no innovative benefit and improperly delay generic entry. In this paper, we explore how the Patent Office may improve the quality of the secondary patents issued—thereby reducing the degree of unnecessary and harmful delays of generic entry—by giving examiners more time to review patent applications. Our findings suggest that current examiner time allocations are causing patent examiners to issue low quality secondary patents on the margin. We further set forth evidence suggesting that the costs to investing in greater ex ante scrutiny of secondary pharmaceutical patent applications by the Patent Office are greatly outweighed by the benefits, which include the avoidance of downstream litigation expenses and gains to consumer and total surplus from reduced drug prices.

Perception among the Employees of Bank towards the Bancassurance in Nepal

The study aims to explore the perception of employees working in banking industry and investigates the problems and prospects of bancassurance in Nepal. Quantitative data have been collected from 100 employees working in 20 commercial banks using structured questionnaire. Product design, customer awareness, brand name, distribution channel and awareness of retail banks are considered as independent variables whereas present status of bancassurance is taken as dependent variable in the study. Both descriptive and inferential statistical tools have been applied to analyse the data. The result reveals that there is a positive relation between product design and brand name with present status of bancassurance in Nepal. This means that better the products lead to success of Bancassurance. The results also reveal negative relationship between present status of Bancassurance and consumer awareness, awareness of retail banks and distribution channel. The study concludes that product design and brand name are the major factors affecting current bancassurance status whereas consumer awareness, awareness of retail banks and distribution channel do not affect on current status of bancassurance.

How do veterinarians influence sales of antimicrobials? A spatial-temporal analysis of the French prescribing-delivery complex in cattle.

In animal agriculture, antimicrobials (AM) are used to control infectious diseases whose incidence and severity vary across production systems, but may contribute to select AM resistant bacteria, potentially disseminating in humans. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a public threat, leading policymakers to implement measures to reduce antimicrobial use (AMU). Investigating AMU patterns at prescriber's level, beyond national AMU trends, enables evaluation of substitutions between AM classes (occurring when one product is replaced by another), or average consumption per production system. Our aim was to identify the influence veterinarians would exert on AMU by quantifying substitution between AM products prescribed and delivered in similar therapeutic indications, in cattle production. Monthly sales data on four critically important AM in five French areas (representative of production systems) were analysed from 2008 to 2013. We calculated the animal live weight receiving a treatment course and evaluated substitutions between brand-name and generic products, and between products from different AM classes with similar indications. Substitutions occurred, between products of the same class (macrolides) with similar indications, between generic and brand-name products (fluoroquinolones, ceftiofur, florfenicol) and between innovative and brand-name products (marbofloxacin, ceftiofur). Innovative products reaching the market represented between 2% and 40% of the yearly sales for a given molecule, depending on the active ingredient and the area. The introduction of generic products of fluoroquinolones and ceftiofur led to a moderate adoption of the generic product at the expense of the brand-name one, unlike in human health care where the adoption reaches up to 80%. Veterinary prescription remains a strong regulating power of AMU; substitutions only occurred for products with similar indications.

Thrift shopping for clothes: To treat self or others?

ABSTRACTWith the increased awareness about ecological concerns and the growing popularity of sustainable fashion, thrift retail stores are growing fast both in number and sales. However, limited research has examined thrift stores as a distinct retail sector from a general second-hand retail sector that includes both non-profit thrift stores and for-profit resale stores. To fill this void, this study identified the motivational antecedents of thrift store shopping behavior (TSSB) and profiled thrift shoppers by developing a decision tree predictive model of TSSB. The results provide the key driving factors of TSSB including self-oriented factors (treasure hunting, seeking name brand products) and others-oriented factors (responsible citizenship). Practical implications are also suggested for thrift store managers.

What is the relationship between eye drops and women in science?

AbstractDespite the multifactorial nature of glaucoma, it is evident that treatments to lower the intraocular pressure (IOP) decrease the rate of glaucomatous progression. Within the available treatments, IOP‐lowering eye drops are the far most common strategy. In 2011, the most prescribed anti‐glaucomatous eye drops, Xalatan, went out of patent and since then multiple generic eye drops has entered the market. Although it is an obvious benefit to eradicate the monopoly, the minimum requirements for the introduction of generic eye drops are worrying. Thus, increasing evidence have shown significant differences between generic anti‐glaucomatous eye drops and their brand name products. Moreover, differences in‐between the generic eye drops exist. To complicate it even more, generic Xalatan has changed and is now different from its original form. Overall, it is a jungle and only by improving research, education, and behaviour, the availability of the various treatment options will be rewarding. With a humorous, but serious, angle, the jungle of current available anti‐glaucomatous eye drops will be compared to the challenging career path of women in science.

The Intersection of Tobacco and Marijuana Use in Adolescents and Young Adults.

* Abbreviation: e-cigarette — : electronic cigarette In “Tobacco and Marijuana Use Among US College and Noncollege Young Adults, 2002–2016”, Odani et al1 describe trends from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health on tobacco and marijuana use among respondents 18 to 22 years of age. They conclude that exclusive smoked tobacco use has decreased, whereas exclusive marijuana use has increased over the study period.1 This decline in smoked tobacco is encouraging because one of the greatest public health successes in the United States is the decrease in combusted tobacco use, specifically cigarettes, as seen in this 15-year study. When considering the intersection of adolescent and young adult use of tobacco products and marijuana, another factor that should be considered is the dramatic rise in the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). E-cigarettes, also known as vape devices or by brand name products such as Juul, are the most common tobacco product used among youth.2 Historically, these products have almost always … Address correspondence to Susan C. Walley, MD, CTTS, FAAP, Children’s of Alabama, 1600 7th Ave S, McWane Suite 108, Birmingham, AL 35233. E-mail: swalley{at}peds.uab.edu

Competition and price among brand-name drugs in the same class: A systematic review of the evidence.

BackgroundSome experts have proposed combating rising drug prices by promoting brand–brand competition, a situation that is supposed to arise when multiple US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved brand-name products in the same class are indicated for the same condition. However, numerous reports exist of price increases following the introduction of brand-name competition, suggesting that it may not be effective. We performed a systematic literature review of the peer-reviewed health policy and economics literature to better understand the interplay between new drug entry and intraclass drug prices.Methods and findingsWe searched PubMed and EconLit for original studies on brand–brand competition in the US market published in English between January 1990 and April 2019. We performed a qualitative synthesis of each study’s data, recording its primary objective, methodology, and results. We found 10 empirical investigations, with 1 study each on antihypertensives, anti-infectives, central nervous system stimulants for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis, histamine-2 (H2) blockers, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors; 2 studies on cancer medications; and 2 studies on all marketed or new drugs. None of the studies reported that brand–brand competition lowers list prices of existing drugs within a class. The findings of 2 studies suggest that such competition may help restrain how new drug prices are set. Other studies found evidence that brand–brand competition was mediated by the relative quality of competing drugs and the extent to which they are marketed, with safer or more effective new drugs and greater marketing associated with higher intraclass list prices. Our investigation was limited by the studies’ use of list rather than net prices and the age of some of the data.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that policies to promote brand–brand competition in the US pharmaceutical market, such as accelerating approval of non-first-in-class drugs, will likely not result in lower drug list prices absent additional structural reforms.

Gluten Content of Brand Name Food Products in a Food and Nutrient Database That Includes Leading U.S. Food Brands (FS10-02-19)

ObjectivesDescribe the gluten content of leading U.S. brands of cookies, crackers, hot cereals, ready-to-eat (RTE) cereals, specially formulated bars (e.g., Clif, Luna bars), granola bars, savory snacks, and candies. MethodsTo address the needs of researcherers examining the role of gluten in gastrointestinal health, gluten was added to a U.S. food and nutrient database. Few foods have been chemically analyzed for their gluten content. Thus, gluten values were assigned to foods based on the assumptions that: 1) foods that do not include any gluten containing grains or their derivatives- wheat, rye or barley may be presumed to contain 0 grams of gluten; and 2) a specified fraction of vegetable protein found in wheat, rye, barley and their derivatives (0.75) may be presumed to be gluten (factor selected based on studies in which gluten content of some gluten containing grains were determined by chemical analysis). Gluten values were assigned to brand name products in the database, thus presenting a unique opportunity to describe the gluten content of brand name products in the U.S. marketplace. For each food category the % of products containing gluten was calculated, and the mean and range in gluten content among gluten containing products were determined. ResultsFood categories with the highest proportion of products containing gluten were cookies (97.1%), crackers (82.7%), hot cereals (66.0%), and RTE cereals (64.8%). Categories with the lowest proportions were candies (15.7%) and savory snacks (25.0%). The mean gluten content among gluten containing products was highest for hot cereals (2.62 grams/serving), crackers (1.82 grams/serving), RTE cereals (1.76 grams/serving), and savory snacks (1.51 grams/serving). Granola bars and specially formulated bars had the lowest content (0.27 and 0.31 grams/serving respectively). The range in gluten content per serving for gluten containing products was lowest for granola bars (0.002–1.11 grams/serving) and highest for RTE cereals (0.001–7.03 grams/serving). ConclusionsThere is considerable variation in the gluten content of brand name products in the categories examined in this study. Studies quantifying dietary gluten intake may need to consider using a dietary assessment method that captures product brand. Funding SourcesAmerican Gastroenterological Association. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs▪

Incongruence in Brand Names and Its Effect on Consumer Preference

Purpose – Brand name is one of the determining factors of a brand’s success. Simple brand names capable of capturing consumers’ attention will make them easy to remember and get to perceive the brand. The significance of brand names has caused practitioners to have high consideration in determining brand names for products. With the sprouting up of new SME-based businesses in Indonesia, it is worth studying how these new businesses name their products. Specifically, we aim to analyze how different brand name designs affect consumer preference. Design/Methodology/Approach – This study employed a 3x2 experimental method where respondents were exposed to three types of fictional brand names that were congruent (e.g., Coffee Corner), incongruent (e.g., d’Coffee Corner) and highly incongruent (e.g., d’Koffee Korner), the respondents’ evaluation was observed through their preference against 3 types of brand name congruence and the use of Indonesian and English in the brands. The analysis technique utilized was a two-way ANOVA. Findings and Implications – The results indicated that congruent brand names had the highest effect on consumer preference in comparison to incongruent and highly incongruent brand names. The use of Indonesian and English in the brand names, however, showed no significant difference on consumer preference. Limitation – The main limitation of this study consists in localized research samples and objects. Consequently, the result may not be the same in a wider, more general environment. Originality – This research study contributes to the examination of brand designs by applying the theory of incongruence as a foundation for the analysis. It adds to the existing knowledge by investigating consumer preference on differently designed, new brand names.

Access and Affordability of Medicines in Malaysia: Need for a National Pricing Policy.

High medicines prices are a barrier to medicines access, and their impact is greater in developing countries. This study assessed the availability, prices and affordability of medicines in public and private sectors in Malaysia to understand the pharmaceutical environment and guide policy recommendations. This nationwide cross-sectional study adapted the World Health Organization/Health Action International (WHO/HAI) methodology. A total of 87 premises from both public and private sectors participated in this study. Data on 50 medicines were collected to analyze availability, prices and affordability. Medicine prices were compared against the international reference prices (IRPs), and affordability was assessed by daily income level. In the public sector, the average availability of generics (74.8%) was higher than that of the originator brand name products (19.4%). However, in the private sector, the availability of originator brands was higher (52.2%) than generics (49.1%). Procurement prices in the public sector were up to 1.5 times the IRPs, but up to 8.4 times in the private sector. The study also observed large price variation across medicines in the private sector. Median retail mark-ups in private hospitals (generics 166.9%; originators 51.0%) were higher than in retail pharmacies (generics 94.7%; originators 22.4%). Generics were generally affordable, but originator brands were unaffordable. Current policies on generic medicines need to be strengthened to improve the availability and use of generics in the country. High medicine prices and large price variation in the current free market suggest that coherent pricing policies and regulations are needed to safeguard the accessibility and affordability of medicines for the people.

An Integrated Bioinformatics and Quantitative Modeling Approach to Investigate Potential Claims of Oral Generic Drug Product Bioinequivalence: Introduction.

An Integrated Bioinformatics and Quantitative Modeling Approach to Investigate Potential Claims of Oral Generic Drug Product Bioinequivalence: Introduction.

Influence of number magnitude in luxury brand names on consumer preference

In this study we built on scarcity theory, to conduct two experiments in which we investigated the influence of arbitrary numbers we inserted into brand names of luxury products. In Study 1 we recruited 68 consumers who were each assigned to one of two groups (small number or big number for brand name), in order to test consumers’ preferences for luxury brands with names of different number magnitudes. The results revealed that a product with a small number in the brand name was received more favorably than was a product with a big number in the name. Scarcity mediated the relationship between number magnitude and preference. In Study 2 we tested the moderating role of involvement. Number magnitude of the brand name influenced preference through scarcity when involvement was high but not when it was low. Thus, we found that numbers in the name of a luxury brand arbitrarily impacted consumers’ perceptions of scarcity, which influenced their preference in regard to brand. This relationship was moderated by involvement. The results suggest that manufacturers of luxury brands should use a small number in their brand name, and should increase the degree of consumer involvement to elevate consumer preference for the brand.

Injectable, long-acting PLGA formulations: Analyzing PLGA and understanding microparticle formation

Injectable, long-acting depot formulations based on poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) have been used clinically since 1989. Despite 30 years of development, however, there are only 19 different drugs in PLGA formulations approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The difficulty in developing depot formulations stems in large part from the lack of a clear molecular understanding of PLGA polymers and a mechanistic understanding of PLGA microparticles formation. The difficulty is readily apparent by the absence of approved PLGA-based generic products, limiting access to affordable medicines to all patients.PLGA has been traditionally characterized by its molecular weight, lactide:glycolide (L:G) ratio, and end group. Characterization of non-linear PLGA, such as star-shaped glucose-PLGA, has been difficult due to the shortcomings in analytical methods typically used for PLGA. In addition, separation of a mixture of different PLGAs has not been previously identified, especially when only their L:G ratios are different while the molecular weights are the same. New analytical methods were developed to determine the branch number of star-shaped PLGAs, and to separate PLGAs based on L:G ratios regardless of the molecular weight. A deeper understanding of complex PLGA formulations can be achieved with these new characterization methods. Such methods are important for further development of not only PLGA depot formulations with controllable drug release kinetics, but also generic formulations of current brand-name products.

Social media services branding: The use of corporate brand names

Companies are increasingly searching for ways to better engage consumers through social media. In this paper, we explore the impact of using different levels of brand names (corporate vs. product) in social media posts on customer engagement and purchase intentions for services. Building on services branding and brand self-identity literature, we argue that the use of corporate brand names in a services context will increase message likes and purchase intention and that corporate customer brand identification drives these effects. We test this assertion with both field and experimental studies. A field study, using actual services' Facebook brand posts, provides support for this hypothesis, finding that the use of corporate brand names increases message likes while the use of product brand names reduces them. Four follow-up experiments replicate these results, identify boundary conditions, and provide process evidence that the effect is mediated by customer brand identification. Implications are discussed.

Impact of Prenatal Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Antidepressant Exposure and Maternal Mood on Physical Activity, Dietary Intake, and Markers of Adiposity at Age 6 Years.

This study assessed associations between maternal depressive symptoms, prenatal maternal antidepressant treatment, maternal estimates of child physical activity (PA), dietary total intake, and markers of adiposity. Mothers and their children (N = 116) were part of a longitudinal cohort study examining the effects of prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants and maternal depression (SSRI exposed, n = 42; nonexposed, n = 74). Maternal depression symptoms were assessed prenatally and postnatally. At 6 years, PA was assessed using maternal report, 3-day dietary total intakes were obtained using objective records of intake, portion sizes, and product brand names, and birth weight, weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) at age 6 years were also collected. Body mass index (BMI) and WC z-scores standardized for sex and age were computed as markers of adiposity. Children with SSRI exposure had lower levels of PA than children without SSRI exposure. Total dietary energy intakes did not vary between exposure groups. SSRI exposure was not associated with BMI or WC z-scores of the children. Importantly, although lower birth weight was observed in SSRI-exposed children, differences did not remain, accounting for gestational age. Although SSRI exposure was associated with lower estimates of PA, such exposure was not associated with markers of adiposity or total diet energy intake at age 6 years. The implications across subsequent measures in childhood remain to be determined.

A Linguistic (Critical Discourse) Analysis of Consumer Products’ Advertising in Nigeria

Language is the chief means by which humans communicate among themselves; it is also a veritable means of socialisation. In essence, language is an important arsenal used to influence others around us. Clive Johnson and Jackie Keddie (2011) assert that “the impact of what and how we communicate can be very profound for others”. This paper examines the use of language in the advertising industry and posits that in advertising, not only is language used to inform or sensitize, but it is also used to deceive. Language has immense power, and its impact depends entirely on how we wield it. Advertising has a great influence on our purchasing decisions. Consumers are exposed to countless commercial messages everyday “persuading them to buy brand name products”. This is achieved through certain contrivances, which the paper fully discusses. The searchlight of this paper beams on such questions as: does advertising tempt us into buying things we don’t need; does it affect us subliminally in ways we can’t control; how much latitude should marketers have in the kind of products they promote and how they advertise them; do consumers have some responsibilities in the process; what is the proper role of government, especially in protecting the consumers? In sum, the paper sets for itself the task of determining the “border line” between persuasion and deception, in the language of advertisement. It finds that through the subtle means of “appealing” and “persuading, certain deceptive contrivances and even outright falsehood are sued to hoodwink the consumer. The implications are that consumers are “tricked” to buy what they don’t really need; advertisers “overstretch” claim on their products and services; and, finally the advertising, not the product itself, becomes the selling point. It also recommends among others that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Advertisement Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria and such other regulatory agencies should be empowered to verify all claims in advertisements before such claims are published.

Procurement strategies of E-retailers under different logistics distributions with quality- and service-dependent demand

Abstract This paper develops game-theoretic models to study a procurement strategy problem faced by an e-retailer selling products online under different logistics distribution systems. The e-retailer can purchase products directly from a manufacturer under its own brand or indirectly from a brand-name company and then deliver the products to consumers through logistics services. By comparing and analysing e-retailers’ procurement equilibrium strategies under different logistics, we find that e-retailers with different logistics systems have identical procurement preferences when the procurement cost is low or high. However, when the procurement cost is moderate, the e-retailer with third-party logistics is more motivated to adopt direct procurement. In addition, when indirect procurement has a smaller market influence, e-retailers are more inclined toward direct procurement even if the demand is more sensitive to brand-name products. Furthermore, under certain conditions, pricing rules are quite opposite between different procurement modes such that the price decreases even if the cost is more sensitive to the logistics service level in indirect procurement. Moreover, the brand-name company may set a lower resale price instead when improving quality becomes more expensive.

ConAgra foods 2015 and the limits of debt: rewriting a recipe that just didn’t work

ConAgra Foods purchased Ralcorp, a generic brands packaged foods manufacturer, in January 2013. This purchase made ConAgra the largest private-brand packaged foods company in North America. The purchase was part of the firm’s acquisition strategy, its ‘recipe for growth’ launched in 2012. Instead of moving ConAgra forward, the purchase almost brought ConAgra into bankruptcy. ConAgra had difficulties integrating Ralcorp and the trend for private label (vs. brand name) products declined shortly after Ralcorp’s acquisition. This turn of events was made far worse because ConAgra had borrowed a large amount of debt to make the acquisition. Now, almost three years later in fall 2015 ConAgra had a new CEO, had faced reduced profitability and lower earnings per share and financial distress, and was under the pressure of an influential activist hedge fund advocating for the sale of the private brands segment. This case provides data to assess ConAgra’s situation financially and strategically, and to value the potential divestiture of the private brand business segment.