Bayer/Whitehall Set To Launch OTC Ketoprofen In USA

Following their approval on October 6, Bayer's Actron brand and Whitehall-Robins Orudis KT brand of ketoprofen are expected to be launched as over-the-counter medications in the USA within the next few weeks.

As a result, ketoprofen will become the fourth non-steroidal anti-inflammatory to be made available for self-medication in the USA, joining aspirin, ibuprofen (Whitehall-Robins' Advil) and most recently naproxen (Proctor & Gamble's Aleve; see Marketletter January 17, 1994). Both the ketoprofen products are indicated at doses of 12.5mg for general analgesia indications, including minor aches and pains associated with the common cold, headache, toothache, muscular aches, backache, arthritis, dysmenorrhea and temporary reduction of fever.

The Pink Sheet notes that Whitehall, a subsidiary of American Home Products, will have the advantage of marketing its OTC version using the same brand name as the prescription product marketed for many years by sister company Wyeth-Ayerst. However, Bayer has promised a "formidable launch," with a major promotional campaign.