BOERICKE & TAFEL BEGINS SHIPPING HOMEOPATHIC SPORTS MEDICINE LINE IN MID-JUNE

BOERICKE & TAFEL BEGINS SHIPPING HOMEOPATHIC SPORTS MEDICINE LINE IN MID-JUNE to health food and drug stores nationwide, the firm said. The products will reach retail shelves by August. The sports line, which B&T calls "America's first line of homeopathic medicines for the relief of sports-related aches, pains and stiffness," consists of B&T Sports Rub, B&T Sports Gel and B&T Sports Tabs. The company plans to promote the products through point-of- purchase displays, ads to the trade, and co-op advertising. Urging consumers to "enjoy the gain without the pain," the display contains eight packages each of the gel and rub and six packages of the tablets. New York ad agency Ponzi, Weill handles the account. B&T Sports Rub, which carries a suggested retail price of $ 9.45 for a four-ounce bottle, contains a homeopathic formula of Bellis perennis, Hypericum perforatum, Rhus toxicodendron and Ruta graveolens. The rub will be promoted "to relieve minor muscle aches, pains and stiffness associated with over-exercising, strains and sprains," according to company sell sheets. B&T Sports Gel, at a suggested retail price of $ 9.45 for a 2.5 ounce tube, contains the same homeopathic formula as B&T Sports Rub. Sell sheets promote the gel for "fast relief from muscle and joint pain and stiffness caused by sports injuries (strains, sprains, falls, bruises) and minor pain from bone bruises and nerve injuries." B&T Sports Tabs also contain the same homeopathic ingredients as the gel and rub, but have higher concentrations of each. The product will be promoted for "muscle and joint pain caused by over-exercising and sports injuries and pain from bone bruises and nerve injuries," according to sell sheets, which emphasize that the tablets "may be taken internally while the Sports Rub or Sports Gel is used externally." Materials to the trade emphasize that the product contains "no aspirin [and] no aspirin substitutes." The suggested retail price is $ 7.45 for a bottle of 100 sublingual tablets. Trade materials note that sports-related products are a "fast- growing category." With "more and more adults interested in health, more and more of them are exercising regularly and participating in sports." The firm added that dollar sales of "sports supplements and amino acids increased by over 25%" in 1992, while "most product categories suffered a sales decline." The products are touted as "all natural, holistic medicines prepared from botanical sources" that "contain no habit-forming drugs, no synthetics" and "have no dangerous or unpleasant side effects." The launch of the sports line follows on the heels of another B&T homeopathic product line introduction. In mid-May, B&T launched "The Active Woman" line of five homeopathic products designed exclusively for women. The women's line is currently available nationwide in health food stores. B&T said it is negotiating with several drug chains to distribute certain products in the line. B&T Snoozers, B&T Second Wind, B&T Migraide, B&T Monthlies and B&T MenoCare are being promoted via print ads running in magazines such as Longevity, Vegetarian Times, Natural Health and the Utne Reader. Trade materials for the product launch state that the formulations "were either created by homeopathic physicians or developed under B&T's physician review process." A retail display of eight packages of B&T Snoozers and six packages of each of the other four products depicts a woman on rollerblades carrying a baby and a briefcase next to the tagline: "The active woman keeps healthy with homeopathy." All five products carry a suggested retail price of $ 6.49. Hailed as "America's first and only insomnia remedy formulated exclusively for women" in materials to the trade, B&T Snoozers comes in a package of one fluid ounce of Avena sativa, Castoreum and Cimicifuga. B&T Second Wind, which is intended to restore "mental alertness or wakefulness when experiencing fatigue or drowsiness," contains Phosphoricium acidum, Ferrum Phosphoricium, Gelsemium sempervirens, Arsenicum album and Helonias dioica in 100-tablet packages. B&T Migraide is formulated for the "relief of migraine and backed by more than 40 years of clinical experience in Europe," trade materials say. B&T Migraide contains Cyclamen europaeum, Cimicifuga racemosa, Gelsemium sempervirens, Iris versicolor and Sanguinaria canadensis in 100-tablet packages. Promoted for menstrual and premenstrual relief, B&T Monthlies contains Cimicifuga racemosa, Lac caninum, Magnesia phosphorica, Pulsatilla, Viburnum opulus and Zincum metallicum. Available in 100-tablet boxes, Monthlies is intended to relieve "bloating, cramps, backache and pains; emotional or mood changes such as anxiety, nervous tension and irritability; and temporary relief of associated minor headache pain," according to sell sheets. B&T Menocare is described as a "hormone-free menopausal relief medicine proven by clinical testing to relieve menopausal hot flashes, sweating, dizziness, sudden fatigue, irritability and depression." One hundred-tablet packs of MenoCare contain Cimicifuga racemosa, Ignatia amara, Lachesis mutus, Sanguinaria canadensis and Sepia. Founded in 1825 in Philadelphia, Boericke & Tafel was acquired by Dr. Willmar Schwabe GmbH & Co. of Germany in 1987. B&T was moved to a new production facility in Santa Rosa, Calif. in 1990. The firm is headed by President Frank Ruffin, who took over in the late 1980s after founder Gus Tafel retired. Other homeopathic treatments sold by B&T in the U.S. include the Alpha line of medications for maladies including cold and flu, hay fever, insomnia, motion sickness, back pains, arthritis, headaches, teething and colic, nasal congestion, sore throats, bronchitis, eczema and hemorrhoids; B&T Homeopathic Cough and Bronchial Syrup; Arniflora Arnica Gel for bruises and other injuries; SssStingStop Soothing Gel for insect bites, rashes, hives and fever sores; Triflora Arthritis Gel; Califlora Calendula Gel for sunburn, windburn and minor cuts; and Alfalco Alfalfa Tonic for fatigue and insomnia.