Eno (drug)

Eno

Eno is the most global of GSK's gastrointestinal products. The fast-acting effervescent fruit salts, used as an antacid and reliever of bloatedness, was invented in the 1850s by James Crossley Eno (1827-1915). It has sales of nearly £30 million, with its major markets being Spain, India, Brazil, South Africa, Malaysia and Thailand. It is frequently used as a substitute for baking powder.
Eno Tagline: "Gets to work in 6 seconds"

History

As of the summer, 2010, GSK made the decision to withdraw Eno from the UK market. (Info from GSK UK marketing on enquiring directly as to the difficulty on purchasing Eno.)

At the beginning of the year, they initially withdrew the unique UK 218g jar, replacing it with a European/USA 150g jar, though increasing the price by 18% at the same time. It can also still be found in sachets of 5g, sold in boxes of ten. Stocks are not currently being replaced. Most existing UK stock has an expiry date no later than May 2013.

This leaves a major gap in the UK market for a product of this nature as its primary competitor, Andrews, which is a registered trade mark of GlaxoSmithKline contains 2.1g of sucrose per 5ml measure, making it unsuitable for diabetics. Other effervescent alternatives, such as Resolve, contain paracetamol - unnecessary when you have a simple stomach upset. Even own branded alternatives type 'fruit salts' from Boots and Superdrug all contain sucrose, with the result being a sweet sugary taste compared to the historically advertised "refreshing zing" of Enos. They are also not suitable for diabetics.

Each 5 g of Eno powder contains:

• Sodium bicarbonate Ph Eur 2.32g
• Citric acid Ph Eur 2.18 g
• Anhydrous sodium carbonate Ph Eur 0.50 g

Total sodium content, 0.85g

See also

• Isobel Cripps, granddaughter of James Crossley Eno.

External links

• James Crossley Eno at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society