U.S. News & World Report and Pharmacy Times® Reveal This Year's Top-Recommended Health Products

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, and Pharmacy Times^®, the leading multimedia pharmacy network for pharmacists, today released the top-recommended health products for 2020. As integral members of the health care team, pharmacists serve as a valuable resource for patients and caregivers. Excedrin became the No. 1 pick among pharmacists for treating headaches, and Delsym products remained favorites for cough relief in adults and children.

Now in its 24th year, the OTC Guide®, published by Pharmacy Times®, provides recommendations from thousands of pharmacists for more than 1,000 over-the-counter (OTC) brands across 149 product categories, 135 of which U.S. News also publishes, giving pharmacists and patients a trusted resource to promote wellness, prevent and treat acute ailments and illnesses, and manage more complex conditions to improve patient outcomes.

Pharmacists are on the front lines of health care and serve as trusted health care providers for patients suffering from common ailments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of pharmacists has been essential to maintaining public health and wellness.

Nearly 75 percent of patients rely on pharmacists to provide OTC medications to treat illnesses and injuries, according to the HRA® 2019 Value of the Pharmacist Study. The No. 1 pharmacist-recommended brands include:

• Headache: Excedrin
• Cough suppressant: Delsym
• Cold remedies: Cepacol
• Flu products: DayQuil Cold & Flu
• Oral antihistamines: Zyrtec
• Antibacterial soaps: Hibiclens
• Hand sanitizers: Purell
• Insect bite and sting management: After Bite
• Eczema care/relief: Eucerin
• Acne: Differin Gel

To keep children healthy year-round, the 2020 top-recommended health products for common ailments such as allergies, sore throat and cough include:

• Children's allergy: Children's Zyrtec Allergy Syrup
• Children's cough and cold: Children's Delsym
• Children's analgesic: Children's Tylenol
• Children's sore throat: Chloraseptic Kids Sore Throat Spray

This year's picks feature at-home testing products, including Omron digital thermometer, OneTouch blood glucose monitors and Omron blood pressure monitors.

"During these unprecedented times, the ability to find fast and easy-to-comprehend information about over-the-counter products is more important than ever," said Angela Haupt, assisting managing editor of health at U.S. News & World Report. "Synthesizing the expertise of Pharmacy Times® with the in-depth journalism and analysis from U.S. News empowers consumers to pinpoint the right product for their ailment and 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 trust. We are proud to be working with U.S. News & World Report 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."

U.S. News & World Report 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 & World Report's Drugs & Treatments section, health.usnews.com/drugs, consumers have an easy and searchable way to access the information produced by pharmacists' recommendations. U.S. News & World Report displays brands that received at least 1 percent 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.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report