BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- As part of its efforts to make its stores health care destinations for consumers, WalMart makes sure that it stocks the latest over-thecounter products.
Case in point: Wal-Mart was one of the first retailers to offer the O-T-C version of Zyrtec when it became available.
The company says it employed lessons learned from the successful June 2007 launch of alli (orlistat), the first FDA-approved O-T-C weight-loss drug, which went on to become Wal-Mart's No. 1O-ToC diet product. As a result, Wal-Mart was able to take advantage of supply chain efficiencies to get Zyrtec on shelves as fast as possible and keep the product in stock. It was available in select Wal-Mart stores on January 21 and was in all stores nationwide by January 23.
'Many of the country's 50 million allergy sufferers have looked to us for their prescription Zyrtec, and we're sure they'll continue to look to us for the O-T-C product; in fact, they'll look to us for the lowest price on O-T-C Zyrtec, and we don't plan to let them down,' said John Agwunobi, senior vice president and president of Wal-Mart's professional services division, when Zyrtec's arrival on the retailer's shelves was announced in late January. 'Our commitment to making health care products more affordable and accessible is no secret--and our $4 prescription program is only one example. As products go from Rx to O-T-C, we will work to get them on our pharmacy shelves fast and priced lower than our competition.'
Wal-Mart has promoted O-T-C Zyrtec in its circulars, on its web site and through in-store media.
