CCCrawford,
You might be missing two things.
One, there is more to GumTech than Zicam. While the product is very important to shareholders, the company's gum business grew nearly 100% from 1998 to 1999 and stands to grow orders of magnitude with the upcoming nicotine gum joint venture. It is my belief that they will not only go after the smoking cessation market, but also a market aimed at using gum as an alternative delivery system for nicotine.
Two, the market for OTC cold remedies was $2.5 billion in 1998. It is obvious from this figure that consumers spend a lot of money trying to get rid of the common cold. In terms of loss of life, I would agree that cancer and AIDS are much more important than the common cold. However, when you consider loss of production, sick leave, etc., the common cold is perhaps the most serious sickness in terms of economic impact.
Nasal delivered medications are becoming more common, and I would think that they are also becoming more acceptable to consumers. If Zicam is found to be clinically proven to reduce the duration of the common cold to 1.5 to 3 days, or better yet, prevent the common cold, I seriously doubt if the method of delivery or price will impede sales.
PS to Hank: I'm glad that you are feeling better even if you aren't satisfied with Zicam. I would be pleased to send your comments to the company for their consideration. They are very interested in feedback from consumers and if enough people share your concerns, I'm sure that they will address them.
Best regards,
Dan |
