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PARSIPPANY, N.J., June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Looks can be deceiving, especially with all the choices and sophisticated packaging that can be found in the OTC cold sore category. Comparing ingredients could make the difference between buying a cold sore medicine that heals versus a product that simply does not heal cold sores. Abreva, a leading OTC cold sore treatment brand, recently commissioned a study to draw attention to the importance of comparing the ingredients in branded versus 'look-alike' products, and the findings are surprising.
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In the survey, which asked 1,000 American adults, ages 18 and older about how closely they pay attention to the ingredients in 'look-alike' treatments, it revealed 66 percent of Americans believe that when "look-alike treatments" have the same or similar packaging as the name-brand treatment, that it is likely that they have the same ingredients. Additionally, 93 percent of Americans admit to purchasing the "look-alike treatments" in the past solely because they are less expensive.
"All of these 'look-alike' cold sore treatments have different ingredients from the Abreva brand they are trying to imitate," said, Pam Marquess, Pharm.D, pharmacist and pharmacy chain owner and GSK spokesperson. "Even though two items on the shelf may have claims and packaging similar to Abreva, the inside is a different story. Comparing ingredients is critical to selecting a proper cold sore treatment."
To treat cold sores, there is only one over-the-counter product available that is FDA approved to speed the healing of cold sores. That product is Abreva, which contains 10 percent docosanol. Several "look-alike" cold sore treatments tout healing claims, but contain the ingredient Benzalkonium Chloride instead of docosonal. The FDA recently issued a warning letter to a mark
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| SOURCE GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Copyright©2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved |