Czh, I've showed your work to my colleagues and they are very
impressed with it.  The request below comes from my colleague Nermeen.
 However, for simplicity of billing etc. everything is going through
me.

We would like to set a "bonus" of $40 for this piece would expect
1.5-2 hours of work.

It would be great to have an indication of when you can do this work. 
The priorities are: Clearblue, then low-cost reading glasses, then
Nicorette.  Ideally we would like to have Clearblue by tomorrow 12
noon our time (GMT) and the other two by Monday morning our time.

=====================


Clearblue Range of Home Pregnancy Tests

Background Information

Product History

1984:   Unipath created as part of the Unilever portfolio of companies
June 1985: ClearBlue® home pregnancy test launched. It was more than
99% accurate and gave a result in 30 minutes. Other tests on the
market at that time took longer to perform, were less reliable, the
results took hours and were difficult to interpret. ClearBlue became
market leader in the UK within three months – a position it still
holds today.
1987: ClearPlan® ovulation prediction test launched, allowing women to
simply and accurately predict ovulation with 24 – 36 hours notice to
maximise chance of conception.
1988: ClearBlue One Step launched. This was the world’s first one step
pregnancy test, representing a major technological breakthrough. The
improved product became the global leader and was the simplest,
fastest and most reliable home pregnancy test available, giving a
result in just three minutes.
A professional range of tests was launched under the brand name
‘Clearview’. Clearview® now includes tests for Strep A, hCG,
Chlamydia, C. diff. A and Infectious Mononucleosis.
1989: ClearPlan, the first ever One Step ovulation prediction test was
launched reducing time to the result from 30 minutes to 5 minutes
1992: The improved ClearBlue One Step which allowed testing at any
time of the day was launched.
1996: PERSONA®, a new breakthrough method of contraception was
launched in Europe, following more than ten years of research. PERSONA
was the first method of contraception that learns about a woman and
her monthly cycle and becomes personalised to her individual cycle.
PERSONA represented the world’s first dual assay, monitor-read
consumer test.
The new ClearBlue One Minute Pregnancy Test again set the standard for
pregnancy tests on the market. With the Unipath hallmark of simplicity
in home testing, it gave a result faster than any other test - just 60
seconds and over 99 % accurate.
1998: Launch of ClearPlan three minute Home Ovulation Test.
1999: ClearPlan Easy Fertility Monitor launched in the USA. Leading
edge technology is utilised to deliver the most advanced method of
maximising a woman's chances of conceiving.
Dec 2001:  Inverness Medical Innovations Group based in Waltham,
Massachusetts, USA acquired from Unilever U.K. Holdings Limited the
four subsidiary companies that comprised the Unipath business, namely:
Unipath Limited, Unipath Diagnostics GmbH, Unipath Scandinavia A. B.
and Unipath B. V. and certain assets. Included in the assets acquired
are facilities in Bedford, England (Priory Business Park, tel: 01234
835 000 / telesales team: 0800 267448), U.S. marketing and sales
operations in Princeton, New Jersey in the United States, and certain
monoclonal assets and intellectual property rights. The aggregate
compensation paid by Inverness was 103million pounds sterling
(approximately US$ 150 million /euro 166 million) in cash.
The acquisition provides the US-based Inverness with a sizeable
European base of operations with manufacturing, distribution and R&D
capacity. With almost $90 million in calendar 2000 revenues, Unipath
has established leadership positions in the home pregnancy and
ovulation testing markets with its ClearBlue(TM) and ClearPlan(TM)
branded products. In Europe, Unipath also markets Persona(TM) a unique
product that assists in natural family planning. These products, with
significant market share in Europe, are complementary to the Inverness
presence in the US women's health marketplace with both branded and
private label products. Unipath employs over 500 people at its head
offices, R&D Labs & Manufacturing facilities in Bedford, UK.
Sales & distribution offices in the US, Germany (Koln), Holland,
France and Sweden (Lund) and sells products in over 50 countries
worldwide. The acquired Unipath operations include a large-scale
production and R&D facility at Bedford, England with extensive test
and monitoring and antibody production capabilities.
Ron Zwanziger, CEO of Inverness Medical Innovations, 
In November 2001, Inverness Medical Technology, Inc. was acquired by
Johnson & Johnson for $1.3 billion.
Speaking on behalf of Covington Associates, Tom Cibotti, partner in
the firm,
David Gallagher joined Unipath in June ’97 was then responsible for
packaging and labelling across 84 countries
About Inverness Medical Innovations
Inverness Medical Innovations manufactures and sells products for the
women’s health market, and is engaged in the business of developing,
acquiring, manufacturing, and marketing advanced medical device
technologies. The Company is presently exploring new opportunities for
its proprietary electrochemical and other technologies in a variety of
consumer oriented applications including immuno-diagnostics with a
focus on women’s health and cardiology. The Company’s women’s health
and nutritional products are distributed to consumers through
established retail distribution networks such as Wal-Mart, Walgreens
and CVS. Inverness is led by the team that took the former Inverness
Medical Technology, recently acquired by Johnson & Johnson, to a
leadership position in the field of blood glucose monitoring and
diabetes self-management, and is headquartered in Waltham,
Massachusetts.

2002: Improved Clearblue pregnancy test launched with a unique
combination of features, including a +/- result window. (digital test
has contributed to revenue growth), is effective the date period is
due
June 2002: legal action against Persona for failed contraceptive
protection
2003: Clearblue ovulation test launched providing women with a greater
chance of identifying the 2 most fertile days of their cycle, 99%
accurate
Future Developments: Unipath will continue to lead the way in research
and innovation in Women’s Health Consumer Diagnostics and
Self-monitoring products.
Channels
Pharmacies: In the UK - Lloyds Pharmacy, Boots, Moss Pharmacy,
Superdrug
Supermarkets: In the UK – Sainsburys, Tescos

Competitors
Doctor’s surgery, Family Planning Clinic and Pharmacy’s own walk in
testing service

Pharmacy brand
Sensitivity = 10mIU/ml of HCG, 3 minutes for the result, 99% accurate,
20 tests in a vial for £16.50
Sensitivity = 25mIU/ml (effective 3 days later), 20 tests for £6.20
Cassette at $2.50 per test

2. Aon
results in 3 mins, 100% accurate
one step single test @£2.99
25 mIU/ml sensitivity, 99% accurate, 2 tests for £1.29

3. Predictor
100% accurate, 2 tests @ £7.06

4. Clearblue UK’s leading brand
single £6.18

Data Required 

1. Market Segment for Home Pregnancy Test Kits

How large is the segment in Europe and how did this evolve?
Key competitors and their market shares in various countries
What is the market share enjoyed by Clearblue in various European
countries, how did this evolve over the past 10 years?

2. Pricing History

What was the pricing for the Clearblue range over the past 10 years?
What was the price of competitor products during this time?
In the UK and other European countries.

3. Channel Analysis

What proportion of sales is / was generated from each of the marketing
channels (chemists, supermarkets, online, catalogue, health clinic /
GP’s surgery)?
What proportion of sales & marketing budget was allocated to each of
these channels?
What are / were the variations in different countries?

4. Financials
Revenues generated by the Clearblue range over the past decade in
different European countries
Cost structures and profitability of the same

Suggested Data Sources

1.Market Research Reports: Euromonitor, EvalutePharma, IMS Health,
Nicholas Hall, OTC Market Report
2.Broker Reports for Financials (Company Annual Reports would have
limited value)
3.Internet trawl
4.Harvard Business School Publishing

---

Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 01 Oct 2003 13:30 PDT

Hello Victor,

I’m delighted that you like my work and I’d love to do additional
research on your projects. I’ve just reviewed the two new questions
you’ve posted on Clearblue Range of Home Pregnancy Tests and Nicorette
Smoking Cessation Products. (I note that you also refer to a question
on Low Cost Reading Glasses but this hasn’t been posted yet.)

I’m afraid I can’t accept your assignments as you’ve posted them. Both
of the new questions you’ve asked will take much more that two hours
to complete. The projects you’ve posted are complex, multi-part market
research and analysis pieces that will require a lot of searching of
multi-national sources. Much of the information is not likely to be
available in the open market. The research will also have to take into
account the extensive background information provided by Nermeen.

Please take a look at the Google Answers: How to price your question
page.
http://answers.google.com/answers/pricing.html
As you can see, the two new questions you’ve posted fall in the $100 -
$200 range.

I would very much like to keep working on your projects. I also know
that there are many other researchers who are also excellent at market
research questions. Please reconsider the pricing in light of the
Google Answers pricing policies.

I look forward to your answer.

~ czh ~

---

Clarification of Question by victorchua-ga on 01 Oct 2003 14:09 PDT

Dear Czh,

We are happy to raise the bonus to $100 on this question, which is
more urgent. We will probably reword the Nicorette question so that
it's more of an Internet trawl than a market research piece as we
don't have an unlimited budget!  For now don't do any work on
Nicorette.  I haven't written the question on the reading glasses
yet--I'll make it more of an Internet trawl. Our budget is closer to
$50 on each of these questions than $100, but we can allocate it so
that we spend $100 on one and less on the others.

Getting the tables of contents of paid-for reports is valuable to us,
because there is a good chance that we can get them for free if we ask
nicely.  At least we know what is available out there and who has done
it.

It would be great if you had time to work on this today/tonight, in
time for 12 noon GMT.  Can you do $100 worth of work, leaving parts of
the question unanswered if neccessary?  Concentrate on the easy parts
of the question.

Many thanks.

---

Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 01 Oct 2003 16:17 PDT

Thanks for the clarification Victor. I'll have this for you by tomorrow.

~ czh ~

Hello Victor,

This was another somewhat frustrating search because most of the
information you’re looking for is not available on the open Web. I
found several expensive market research reports that address the home
testing market but very little of the information contained in them
was reported in the press. Finding information about the marketing
campaigns and sales channels for the Unipath product lines also proved
extremely difficult. I’ve collected a few items but wasn’t able to
find the specific information you’re looking for on Channel Analysis.

Financials are especially tough in this case because Unipath has
changed ownership several times in the past ten years. I’ve included
links to help you trace this history. Inverness Medical Innovations,
the current parent company, has been very aggressive in taking a
leadership position in the home testing market. Just this week they
acquired the pregnancy test product line from Abbott laboratories.

Pricing history is also elusive. You can get lots of information about
current pricing because home pregnancy tests are readily available on
the Web and are aggressively marketed. There are lots of price
comparison sites if you want to develop some current pricing
information.

As before, I’ve organized what I’ve collected according to topic
headings. I’m afraid most of the information you’re looking for will
only be available in the expensive market research reports.

I hope what I’ve found will be useful. I look forward to your future
projects.

~ czh ~


===========================================================
UNIPATH PRODUCTS – CLEARBLUE, CLEARVIEW, CLEARPLAN, PERSONA
===========================================================

http://medical.unipath.co.uk/
Unipath Ltd’s products include PERSONA, Clearblue Home Pregnancy Test
and Clearplan Home Ovulation Test. Unipath Ltd also has a professional
diagnostic product range – Clearview.

-------------------------------


http://www.clearblue.info/
http://www.clearblue.info/de/
http://www.clearblue.info/se/
http://www.clearblue.info/no/
http://www.clearblue.info/dk/
http://www.unipath.info/fi/
http://www.clearblue.info/fr/
http://www.clearblue.info/nl/

The Clearblue website contains useful information about pregnancy
tests, ovulation tests, sexual health and contraception.

If you would like to contact Unipath Limited, the makers of Clearblue,
please click on the link.

--------------------------------


http://www.persona.info/
http://www.meinpersona.de/index.cfm
http://www.persona.info/nl/
http://www.persona.info/se/
http://www.persona.info/no/
http://www.persona.info/fi/
http://www.persona.info/dk/

PERSONA is a method of contraception that works in harmony with your
body.
You are only fertile for a few days of each month so on most days you
don't need to use a contraceptive. By monitoring your personal hormone
levels, PERSONA can tell you when you have the freedom to make love
without a contraceptive.*

-------------------------------


http://www.capitalradiogroup.com/commercial/assets/pdfs/clearplan.pdf
Case History: Clearplan
Radio’s Effect on a Niche Market

------------------------------


http://www.princetonpartners.com/bts/vol2/client.htm
UniPath - Online Sales Success Story
In hiring Princeton Partners to create an online marketing program for
its ClearPlan Easy™ Fertility Monitor, Unilever’s Unipath division
challenged the gargoyles to disprove that assumption.

-------------------------------


http://www.qa-talk.com/news/dwo/dwo103.html
Case study/Application note 24 October 2002
Noncontact measurement helps pregnancy testers

So successful is the UK operation of medical diagnostics company
Unipath that it manufactures more than 20 million home pregnancy
testing kits a year.
Holding the position as one of the world leading women's health
consumer diagnostics companies, its 'one minute' ClearBlue pregnancy
testing devices, are produced around the clock at the prestigious,
purpose developed headquarter site just south of Bedford.

---------------------------
 

http://www.fdanews.com/dailies/bulletin/1_97/news/13628-1.html
FDA CLEARS DIGITAL PREGNANCY TEST 
Inverness Medical has received FDA clearance to begin marketing its
Clearblue Easy Digital pregnancy test, the first such test capable of
displaying results in words.

--------------------------


http://www.time.com/time/magazine/1998/int/980202/technology.persona_non_g27.html
FEBRUARY 2, 1998  -- Persona Non Grata 
Disappointment with a sophisticated contraceptive device forces
couples and doctors to reevaluate risk


=================
CORPORATE HISTORY
=================

http://www.unipath.com/wherearewe.cfm
http://www.unipath.com/
http://www.unipath.nu/
http://medical.unipath.co.uk/
http://www.unipath.dk/norge/
http://www.uniscand.se/

To find out more about Unipath Limited, the company that manufactures
Clearblue products, click on the link.
Or, write to:
Marketing Department
Unipath Ltd
Priory Business Park
Bedford
MK44 3UP
UK

Unipath is one of the world’s leading Women’s Health Consumer
Diagnostics companies, with strong positions in most key markets with
its brands Clearblue®, ClearPlan® and PERSONA®. It is active in the
research and design, production, marketing and sale of branded Women’s
Health Diagnostic products. It has pioneered this market with
innovative technology since the formation of the company in 1984. In
addition, Unipath manufactures the Clearview range of rapid tests for
the clinical point of care market.

In December 2001, Unipath joined the Inverness Medical Innovations
group based in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. Both companies are
pioneers in the area of self-monitoring diagnostics and disease
management.

-------------------------------


http://www.invernessmedical.com/Company_Info.htm
http://www.invernessmedical.com/imiabbott.doc
Inverness Buys Test Products from Abbott
Wednesday October 1, 8:24 am ET 
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Inverness Medical Innovations Inc. (AMEX:IMA -
News) said on Wednesday it purchased the rights to pregnancy tests and
other diagnostic products from Abbott Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:ABT -
News) for $92.5 million in cash and stock.

Inverness acquired the "Fact plus" pregnancy test, as well as the
"Abbott TestPack," "Abbott TestPack plus" and the "Signify" lines of
diagnostics that identify strep throat, pregnancy and the presence of
abusive drugs.

--------------------------------


http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=ima&d=t
Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc (IMA)
***** See complete profile for company information.

----------------------------------


http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030828/neth019_1.html
Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. Acquires Rapid Diagnostic Test
Business From Apogent Technologies Inc.
Thursday August 28, 4:38 pm ET 

Acquisition Strengthens Inverness' Position In The Point-Of-Care
Diagnostics Market
WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/-- Inverness Medical
Innovations, Inc. (Amex: IMA - News), a leading provider of consumer
healthcare and professional diagnostics products, and developer of
advanced medical devices, announced today that it has acquired Applied
Biotech, Inc. from Apogent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: AOT - News).
Applied Biotech, located in San Diego, California, is a developer,
manufacturer and distributor of rapid diagnostic products in the areas
of women's health, infectious disease and drugs of abuse testing.

----------------------------


http://www.abiapogent.com/pages/pregnancy.htm
APPLIED BIOTECH, INC.
Pregnancy/Fertility Products
SureStrip, SureStep

--------------------------------


http://www.jnj.com/news/jnj_news/20020404_0912.htm
Johnson & Johnson Completes Acquisition Of Inverness Medical
Technology's Diabetes Care Products Business
New Brunswick, NJ (November 21, 2001) – Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ),
the world's most comprehensive and broadly-based manufacturer of
health care products, today announced the completion of its previously
announced acquisition of Inverness Medical Technology, excluding
certain businesses. The transaction was completed today after
Inverness shareholders voted to approve the merger agreement with
Johnson & Johnson at a meeting held at the offices of Goodwin Procter
LLP in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 20, 2001.

Simultaneous with the completion of the acquisition, Inverness
completed the split-off of a new publicly-traded company, Inverness
Medical Innovations, Inc. (AMEX: IMA), that now holds Inverness'
former women's health and other non-diabetes businesses.

http://www.unipath.com/UnipathHistory.cfm
Unipath History - Innovation in Consumer Diagnostics

------------------------------


http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2002/12/02/daily26.html
December 4, 2002
Inverness targets rivals in patent suit
Inverness Medical Innovations Inc. of Waltham, maker of the ClearBlue
Easy home pregnancy test, sued two closely held companies it claims
are using patented testing methods without permission.

Inverness and its Unipath Diagnostics unit are suing Acon Laboratories
Inc. of San Diego and Qualis Inc. of Des Moines, Iowa. The suits,
filed Nov. 26 in federal court in Boston, claim infringement of two
patents for testing methods that Unipath uses for the ClearBlue
pregnancy and ClearPlan Easy ovulation tests.

--------------------------


http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2003/03/10/daily20.html
March 11, 2003
Pfizer pregnancy tests blocked by Inverness suit
Boston Business Journal
Pfizer Inc. can't ship its e.p.t. product, the best-selling home
pregnancy test, to stores while it battles a patent-infringement
lawsuit by rival Inverness Medical Innovations Inc. of Waltham, a
judge ruled.

Inverness, maker of the ClearBlue Easy home pregnancy test, is suing
Pfizer and other rival test makers, claiming they infringe two
Inverness patents. U.S. District Judge Katharine Hayden said Inverness
was likely to succeed in the case against Pfizer, the world's largest
drugmaker, and on Friday ordered the halt to future sales while the
case is pending.


================================================================
MARKET RESEARCH -- HOME PREGNANCY TEST KITS AND RELATED PRODUCTS
================================================================

http://thetareports.net/cgi-bin/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TS&Product_Code=1173W
http://www.marketresearch.com/map/prod/728882.html
High Growth Diagnostic Markets Worldwide II
Code: 1173W 
Price: $2,400.00
High Growth Diagnostic Markets Worldwide II is a follow-up to our
visionary High Growth Diagnostic Markets.
TABLE OF CONTENTS http://www.thetareports.net/TOCs/1173tc.html
PUBLISHED: December 2001
PAGES: 220,   TABLES: 33,   FIGURES: 3

A follow-up to Theta’s successful High Growth Diagnostic Markets...
Which diagnostic markets will experience explosive growth over the
next few years? Theta’s market study will show you!

High Growth Diagnostic Markets Worldwide II analyzes the underlying
trends and factors, so you will understand the drivers of market
growth, and which sectors and technologies are likely to prosper most.
Specific segments analyzed include:
Pregnancy testing 

5. Product Overview 
5.1 Pregnancy Testing Products 
5.1.1 e.p.t (Pfizer) 
5.1.2 ClearBlue (Unipath) 
5.1.3 Fact Plus (Abbott) 
5.1.4 TestPack Plus hCG (Abbott) 
5.1.5 First Response and Answer (Carter-Wallace) 
5.1.6 Confirm (Durex) 
5.1.7 Inverness Medical Early Pregnancy Test 
5.1.8 LifeSign, BioSign, and BioStrip (Princeton BioMeditech) 
5.1.9 Sure Check, HCG Quick-Stix, and HCG Stat-Pak (Chembio) 
5.1.10 AimStick, AimStep, Aim Direct, Aim Monoclonal, AccuHome, and  
            AccuDip (Germaine) 
5.1.11 Clearview, PreVue, Status, and UCG (Wampole) 
5.1.12 One Step dBest (Ameritek) 
5.1.13 InstaTest hCG, InstaStrip hCG, and Latex Slidecheck (Cortez) 
5.1.14 LifeSign1 (Geodesic Meditech) 
5.1.15 Early Bird (Kent) 
5.1.16 QuickVue, RapidVue, and CARDS Q.S. (Quidel) 
5.1.17 BetaQuick One Step Urine Pregnancy Test

----------------------------


http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?cat_id=&report_id=5534
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5534/5534.pdf
The Over the Counter Diagnostic Product Markets
Publisher: TriMark Publications
Hard Copy   EUR  3,424.00
Hard Copy   USD  3,200.00
Electronic   EUR  3,424.00 
Electronic   USD  3,200.00 

Over the counter diagnostic products segments are poised for a major
new phase of growth fueled by the availability of new technology
coming out of the point of care segment and the higher interest of
individual patients and general healthcare consumers to take charge of
their own health status.

The OTC market for home health tests in the United States increased at
a phenomenal compounded annual growth rate, estimated to reach over
$4.0 billion by 2007. Overall, the OTC market worldwide grew at
comparable rates as the U.S., with Germany as the leader in Europe and
high rates of growth in rest of the world including Asia and Japan.

Two test categories, pregnancy and glucose monitoring for diabetes,
dominate this market. Customers for OTC products are dominated by
large pharmacy chains, insurance companies, law enforcement
facilities, or direct to the consumer organizations.

The report examines the three basic factors have driven the market for
OTC diagnostic testing products, and looks at the OTC market’s two
general segments: home testing (where products are purchased at
pharmacies) and decentralized testing in non-institutional settings
(insurance companies and law enforcement agencies). The decentralized
OTC market encompasses a large variety of IVD products ranging from
moderate sized instrumented diagnostic systems serving larger
institutional uses to single-use, disposable tests for individual home
use.
This report discusses Over the Counter Diagnostic Product Industry
Trends that are believed influence OTC testing, and demographic
changes, reimbursement policies and manageable regulations, and the
availability of clinically valuable tests that will increase growth in
this diagnostic category.

---------------------------


http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?cat_id=&report_id=6054
European OTC Diagnostics Market 2001
Publisher: TriMark Publications
Electronic   EUR  107.00
Electronic   USD  100.00

Database Tables are proprietary data sources covering specific
information for the diagnostic, medical device, biotechnology and
healthcare sectors. Over 600 database tables are now available from
Research and Markets

A Note on Database Tables at Research & Markets: 

Please note that these database tables are very focused one or two
page tables/charts. They are great as a quick snapshot of a given
market, or to incorporate into your own presentations/forecasts. But
they not give the detailed analysis and the comprehensive information
found in the full industry/market reports. If you do require more
detailed market research please visit the following categories at
Research & Markets: Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare & Medical Devices, and
Biotechnology.

***** See links to related reports.

-----------------------------


http://www.bizintelagents.com/reports/tk13676_dna_testing.html
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?cat_id=&report_id=28413
http://www.the-infoshop.com/study/tk13676_dna_testing.html
Tri-Mark Publications -- Women's Health: Diagnostic Tests 
Published by : Global Information Inc.
Pub Time: 2003/05
Price: US $3200 (Hard Copy) US $3200 (PDF by E-mail (Single User))

Laboratory testing in the areas of pregnancy, fertility, infectious
disease, cancer testing and prenatal testing and prenatal genetic
testing are evaluated in terms of market size, growth rates, new
testing procedures, and key players.
The emphasis in this report is on those companies and products that
are actively developing and marketing women' s health oriented
diagnostic tests and mammography products for the clinical setting.

This report makes an in-depth examination of the women' s health lab
testing and mammography instrumentation market segments in the U.S.,
and around the world. Regional markets, sizes and growth rates are
examined including the U.S., Europe, Japan and Asia, and the Rest of
the World. Country market reports on women' s health diagnostic
testing are covered for the U.S. the UK, France, Germany, Italy,
Spain, China and Japan.

***** This is a report on the market in clinical tests but it may be
of interest because it covers worldwide markets and trends.

----------------------------


http://www.the-infoshop.com/study/kl15648_womens_health.html
OTC Women's Health: A supplement to Women's Health, 3rd Edition 
Pub Time: 2003/09
Published by : Kalorama Information
Distributed by : Global Information, Inc. 
Price  US $ 1995 (PDF by E-mail (Single User License)) US $ 1995 (Hard
Copy)

The OTC women's health market encompasses a wide variety of products
that have been determined safe and effective as over-the-counter
products. The market is driven by several factors including increasing
number of baby boomers entering old age, increasing incidences of
diseases; product demand; and several others.
In response to many inquiries from readers of Kalorama Information's
March 2003 publication Women's Health: Worldwide Prescription Drug
Markets, 3rd Edition, we embarked on a supplemental study that goes
beyond the prescription market to cover over-the-counter products in
the United States.

----------------------------


http://www.mindbranch.com/catalog/product.jsp;jsessionid=aaa-OaxDi3En79?display=brief&code=R1-2356&bundle=&partner=0
U.S. Point-of-Care Retail Diagnostics Markets
PRODUCT TYPE: Market Report
PUBLISHED DATE: March 2003
PUBLISHED BY: Frost & Sullivan
ORDER CODE: R1-2356
 PRICE: $3950

This Frost & Sullivan research examines the U.S. Point-of-care Retail
Diagnostics Markets. It offers revenue forecasts by market segment,
covers key drivers and restraints, and provides strategic
recommendations to overcome market challenges.

Simple designs that aid convenience, accessibility, facility of
interpretation, and instant results are major factors driving demand
for OTC pregnancy and ovulation tests as well as cholesterol tests and
monitors. Many manufacturers provide multiple test packages that
reduce the overall cost per test besides saving time. Multimeters test
for both glucose and cholesterol and provide the consumer with greater
information and flexibility. Participants are likely to utilize both
traditional and new media to instruct their target audiences about the
efficacy and utility of their products.

"The ovulation market has been sluggish in the last two years due to
low awareness and lack of advertisement," says the analyst. To achieve
the kind of familiarity and market shares that pregnancy tests enjoy,
manufacturers will have to promote their technological innovations
through claim-driven marketing strategies. Publicity messages in the
United States should also include warnings against the use of these
products as prophylactics.

***** Although this report reviews the US market, it may still be
worth a look for a review of the basic issues involved with the
pregnancy/fertility OTC diagnostic market.

---------------------------


http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/hpt.html
Home Pregnancy Test hCG Levels and FAQ
Home pregnancy tests are listed in a table below in order of most
sensitive to least sensitive. The levels are based on phone calls to
the manufacturers. Below that there are several frequently asked
questions.
The majority of the tests listed are available in the United States
unless otherwise noted after the test name. Two of the tests that are
available in the U.S. and in the U.K. are registered for different
levels in the different countries (Clearblue Easy and First Response).

***** Interesting especially for listing of manufacturers.

---------------------------


http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0008270C-19D1-1C73-9B81809EC588EF21&ref=sciam
DIAGNOSIS AT HOME: Pregnancy Tests
Since 1977 the FDA has approved more than 100 different pregnancy
tests. The confidentiality offered by these tests has made them the
most popular of all types of home diagnosis kits.

--------------------------


http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/frost-home.pag
http://www.mindbranch.com/about/publisher_info.jsp?pubcode=1
Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan has developed highly specialized teams of analysts
focused on well-defined industry segments. These teams provide
detailed, accurate, and timely data in each of the key industries they
track.
***** This consulting and market research company has covers your
areas of interest and offers a wealth of reports and resources.



==========
FINANCIALS
==========

http://www.siliconinvestor.com/stocktalk/subject.gsp?subjectid=53651
SI: StockTalk: Biotechnology & Drugs: Inverness Medical Innovation –
IMA
Started By: Crossy 
Date: Jan 28, 2003  6:46 AM 
re: AMEX: IMA @ $16 (Inverness Medical Innnovation)
Homepage : http://www.invernessmedical.com 

---------------------------


http://biz.yahoo.com/p/i/ima.html
This is a very interesting company IMHO and I will include it in my
"absurde value" portfolio. The company has been growing 5fold by
acquisitions and from endogenous forces from $50m to $260m in annual
revenue over the last 2 years. Valuations are still compelling:
Price/Sales at 0.80 and Price/Book at 1.50. Gross margins are around
50% and further growth is almost assured. Only 14m shares out and the
firm seems to be aiming at preventing dilution whenever possible. The
company had acquired UniPath from Unilever, Wampole, IVC and other
companies in 2002. Right now a move to acquire specialty Osteoporosis
firm OSTX is in the works.

Another factor is management. The company's CEO, Ron Zwanziger has
already hit a "home run" twice. He founded MediSys and sold it to
Abbot Labs for $800m. He then founded Inverness and sold its
comprehensive diabetes line (an entire division) and sold it to JNJ
for $1.2bn. Now he seems poised to do this again in pregnancy and
other specialty diagnostic arenas like infectuous diseases.

-----------------------------


http://finance.lycos.com/qc/research/marketguide.aspx?symbols=AMEX:IMA
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=IMA
INVERNESS MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY (AMEX: IMA)
***** Financial profiles on the company and discussions about current
market trends. See remark for 9/30/03
Is PFIZER next ? 

Pfizer is reportedly putting it's Pharmacia Diagnostic biz up for sale
(See Pharma Times - June 2003)

"Pfizer is exploring the strategic options for its Pharmacia
Diagnostics business. Pharmacia Diagnostics was founded over 30 years
ago as part of the Pharmacia business and was acquired in April this
year when Pfizer completed its $60bn takeover of the Anglo-Swedish
firm. Hanc McKinell, Pfizer's chairman and CEO, said that although the
diagn. biz is succesful and growing it is not aligned with the firm's
strategic focus on the three core business of human pharma, consumer
healthcare and animal health....

--------------------------------


http://www.marketocracy.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Portfolio.woa/ps/ReadTopicPage/from=10/source=GdHkAcIoDoDgMbFbMaKiAbDdForums
 Stocks and Sectors  Health and Biotech  IMA - Inverness - Explosive
growth ahead

***** See enthusiastic discussion about IMA from earlier this year.
Gives interesting background on the company and its future strategy.

---------------------------


http://www.unilever.com/news/pressreleases/2001/englishnews_1844.asp
Unilever plans sale of women's health diagnostics subsidiary
19 June 2001: Unilever has announced today that it intends to seek
buyers for its women's health diagnostics subsidiary, Unipath Limited,
as it continues to focus resource behind selected consumer brands in
its 'Path to Growth' Strategy.

It has its own sales and distribution capability in United States,
United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Germany. In many
other markets Unipath's products are sold through leading
distributors. It is well placed to exploit emerging markets through
this network and existing international distribution agreements.
The business has enjoyed sound revenue growth over the past five
years, averaging 15 per cent per annum. Sales for 2000 exceeded €100
million of which one-half came from Europe with the remainder divided
roughly equally between the United States and the rest of the world.
The business is profitable.

----------------------------


http://www.unilever.com/investorcentre/aboutunilever/acquisitionsanddisposals/default.asp
20 December 2001: Unipath, our women's health diagnostics business,
was sold to Inverness Medical Innovations Inc of Waltham,
Massachusetts USA, for £103 million (€166 m) in cash.

----------------------------


http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2001/12/17/daily42.html
December 20, 2001
Inverness Medical buys Unipath Ltd. in $150 million cash deal
Inverness Medical Innovations Inc., a Waltham-based provider of
women's health and nutritional products and a developer of medical
devices, announced Thursday that it has acquired Unipath Ltd., a
women's health diagnostics business, from London-based Unilever PLC
for £103 million, or approximately $150 million in cash.

-----------------------------


http://www.invernessmedical.com/Unipath%20Press%20Release.htm
Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. Acquires Unipath Business from
Unilever
Under the terms of the agreement which was reached last night and
funded and closed today, Inverness has acquired from Unilever U.K.
Holdings Limited the four subsidiary companies that comprised the
Unipath business, namely: Unipath Limited, Unipath Diagnostics GmbH,
Unipath Scandinavia A. B. and Unipath B. V. and certain assets.
Included in the assets acquired are facilities in Bedford, England,
U.S. marketing and sales operations in Princeton, New Jersey in the
United States, and certain monoclonal assets and intellectual property
rights. The aggregate compensation paid by Inverness was 103million
pounds sterling (approximately US$ 150 million /euro 166 million) in
cash.


===============
SEARCH STRATEGY
===============

"pregnancy tests" market research
unipath
unipath competitors
"pregnancy test" unipath competitors

---

Clarification of Answer by czh-ga on 02 Oct 2003 14:26 PDT

Hello Victor,

The search you set up was very tough and I’m sorry that I wasn’t able
to get you the numbers you were looking for. When it looked like they
weren’t going to show up on the open Web I focused on identifying
for-fee sources that might do the job and additional background
information.

A review of the past market research questions on Google Answers shows
that the ones looking for very specific financial information are
frequently high priced and still remain unanswered. It also seems to
me that it tends to be tougher to get consumer-oriented product
marketing information than it is to get numbers on
business-to-business products. We have a very diverse group of
Researchers and sometimes someone happens to have expertise in a
product and has connections for locating tough to find statistics.

Since you’re on a limited budget, I suggest that you break up your
multi-part questions into smaller ones to give you a better chance of
getting what you need. Researchers are reluctant to answer multi-part
questions when they have the answer to three out of four questions or
90 percent of what the customer is looking for. The more you can spell
out about the parameters of what is acceptable, the more likely you
will get what you’re looking for. On the other hand, many market
research questions remain unanswered because the information is
closely held or proprietary.

I’d like to keep working with you, but I also think you might get good
results by opening up the statistical search questions to the whole
Researcher community.

Thanks for the five stars and the agreed on fee.

~ czh ~

Thank you for your work. We did not find this quite as useful as your
previous answers, but we think this is because there isn't much on the
Internet on sales numbers.  We'll have to find those elsewhere, or pay
for them. We found your search for paid consulting most useful.