“The game is still totally open,” said Sanofi CFO François-Xavier Roger in response to questions about how the company intends to separate its Consumer Healthcare business. The comments came as Sanofi reported its Q2 results.

Reckitt has designated its Mead Johnson infant nutrition and home care businesses as non-core operations. The company will now reorganize to sharpen its focus on the consumer health and hygiene markets in the pursuit of sustainable, long-term growth.

UK regulator the Food Standards Agency intends to assess the risks associated with consuming supplements containing ashwagandha and to determine whether a safe level of the herb can be established. The launch of the consultation follows warnings from regulators across Europe about the safety of ashwagandha, with its consumption linked to a number of adverse health effects.

A round-up of the latest appointments in Europe's health and wellness industries: Perrigo makes management changes; European Commission president re-elected; EFSA appoints new members to scientific panels.

Major Europe-based consumer health players Sanofi, Haleon, Reckitt and Bayer feature in this sales and earnings preview, which highlights what to look out for as these four firms report their Q2 2024 results over the coming weeks.

The antihistamine cyproheptadine is no longer available as a non-prescription allergy treatment in France after regulator ANSM said it had been misused for years to induce weight gain for “aesthetic purposes.”