Wednesday, September 19, 2007

  No, We Haven't Cured The Common Cold

Procter and Gamble is a marketing icon. The conglomerate has not only trained some of the best marketers of the last 50 years, but continues to innovate consumer products.

Sometimes that innovation can get the company in a little hot water.

Today is one such day. The Food and Drug Administration sent a letter yesterday to P&G that essentially said the company's hand sanitizer for kids didn't exactly work as planned.

The letter, signed by FDA District Director Carol A. Heppe, acknowledged that an ingredient in Vicks Early Defense called triclosan is certified for use as an "antimicrobial cleanser", the company's claims about it fighting cold "germs" (sic). Heppe went on to remind P&G President Alan Lafley that colds are caused by viruses and that no evidence existed suggesting that the company's product worked as claimed.

Yes, you can still catch a cold, but Mom said you could go in the pool after eating without waiting 30 minutes.

The agency is apparently reviewing the whole subject of topical cleansers. Meanwhile, the FDA has given Procter and Gamble's smart marketers until early October to start marketing their new hand sanitizer in a way that ensures consumers know what they are buying.

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