U.S. News & World Report and Pharmacy Times® Reveal 2021 Top-Recommended Health Products

WASHINGTON, June 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, and Pharmacy Times®, the leading multimedia resource for pharmacy professionals, today released the top-recommended health products for 2021. Tylenol came in as the No. 1 pick among the surveyed pharmacists for treating headaches, and Claritin products topped the list for allergy relief in adults and children.

Now in its 25th year, the OTC Guide®, published by Pharmacy Times®, provides recommendations from pharmacists for more than 1,000 over-the-counter (OTC) brands across 152 product categories, 133 of which U.S. News also publishes. These results give pharmacists, patients and other health care professionals a trusted resource to promote wellness, prevent and treat acute ailments and illnesses and manage more complex conditions, leading to improved patient outcomes.

Pharmacies are not only accessible and conveniently located, but also are a trusted resource for patients suffering from both common and comorbid conditions. By providing critical services such as patient education, medication dispensing, vaccinations, recommendations for OTC medications and medication management, pharmacy teams continue to be essential. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 90% of Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy, and patients visit their community pharmacy an average of 12 times more per year than their primary care physician.

As preventive care remains a high priority and COVID-19 vaccinations and CDC guidelines allow more Americans to begin traveling again, the top products can help consumers and their families stay healthy all year long. The No. 1 pharmacist-recommended brands include:

• Headache: Tylenol 
• Cough suppressant: Delsym
• Cold remedies: Cepacol
• Flu products: Theraflu
• Oral antihistamines: Claritin 
• Antibacterial soaps: Hibiclens
• Multivitamin: Centrum
• Sunscreen: Neutrogena
• Pregnancy test: First Response
• Hand sanitizers: Purell
• Insect bite and sting management: After Bite
• Eczema care/relief: CeraVe
• Acne: Differin Gel

To keep children healthy year-round, the 2021 top-recommended health products for common ailments such as allergies, sore throat and cough include:  

• Children's allergy: Children's Claritin
• Children's cough and cold: Children's Dimetapp
• Children's analgesic: Children's Tylenol
• Children's sore throat: Zarbee's Naturals

This year's picks feature at-home testing products, including Braun ThermoScan digital thermometer, OneTouch blood glucose monitors, Omron blood pressure monitors and First Check drug tests.

"As more Americans roll up their sleeves to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and people begin to travel and return to the office, they're looking for easily accessible information about over-the-counter allergy, headache and pain medicine," said Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News. "The expertise of Pharmacy Times® combined with the in-depth journalism and analysis from U.S. News empowers consumers to research products for their affliction and, along with input from a physician or general practitioner, know that they made the most informed decision for their health."

Ed Cohen, Pharm.D., FAPhA, executive vice president of pharmacy advocacy for Pharmacy Times® added, "The OTC Guide® gives consumers everywhere insight into which over-the-counter products pharmacists know and recommend. Patients continue to turn to OTC products to treat their conditions and pharmacists continue to counsel and recommend appropriate OTC products. We are proud to be working with U.S. News once again to put together this comprehensive guide of pharmacist recommendations, and we are thankful for the time and effort pharmacists put into taking the survey, especially this year balancing their time with COVID-19 priorities."

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 U.S. News' Drugs & Treatments section, 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 awards a No. 1 Pharmacist Recommended Brand designation only to the top-ranked product in each category.

For more information, visit Facebook or Twitter using #OTCGuide or go to 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 citizens, consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. 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.

About Pharmacy Times®
Pharmacy Times® is the industry-leading multimedia pharmacy network of community, health system, oncology, and specialty pharmacy platforms, providing practical clinical and professional information pharmacists can use in their everyday practices when counseling patients and interacting with other health care providers. Each issue and the website contain articles and features covering industry trends, drug interactions, patient education, disease state management, patient counseling, product news, pharmacy law, and more. Additionally, Pharmacy Times Continuing Education™ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. Pharmacy Times® is a brand of MJH Life Sciences™, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report