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...boasts continue: "It helps block production of stomach acid." "It's the world's first acid blocker." Then, against the glowing corona of a totally eclipsed sun, "And now it's available without a prescription." Finally the eclipsed image resolves into the illustration on a drug package labeled Tagamet HB, under which is inscribed, "Now for heartburn...
...stake as the companies tout these products, say industry analysts, is an additional $1 billion in sales for heartburn medications. "This is a blockbuster," says Paul Kelly, president of Silvermine Consulting Group, in Westport, Connecticut. "It's the most dramatic medical launch since Advil." Two acid blockers, Tagamet HB and Pepcid AC, have begun battling it out for market share, and two more--including the British colossus Zantac in over-the-counter form--will be joining the fray by next year...
...Johnson & Johnson/Merck, producer of Pepcid, beat SmithKline to the punch. It won FDA approval of its over-the-counter version, Pepcid AC, and began marketing it in June. Between its introduction and August, when Tagamet HB first appeared in pharmacies, Pepcid AC gained a 22% share of the entire antacid market. "Pepcid had a window of opportunity, and it exploited it well in the marketplace," says Silvermine Consulting's Kelly. "That's an amazing accomplishment." Amazing, and expensive. J&J/Merck and SmithKline are each spending some $100 million in marketing campaigns for their new acid blockers...
Competition heightened soon after the debut of Tagamet HB, when SmithKline filed suit against J&J/Merck in federal district court in Manhattan. The company sought "to stop defendant from deceiving the public and undermining the launch of Tagamet HB...through false and misleading television commercials" and advertisements. The suit cited such claims as "8 out of 10 doctors and pharmacists chose Pepcid AC over Tagamet HB...
Marquis Jessie, Brown HB (Fr., 5-8, 170) San Jose, Calif...