PhysiciansCare First Aid and Medications
Encyclopedia
PhysiciansCare is the First Aid
and over-the-counter
(OTC) medical products
brand of Acme United Corporation
. The history of PhysiciansCare dates back to 1965, when Acme Shear, the predecessor of Acme United Corp., entered the medical industry, with the production of disposable medical scissors
and instruments
for hospital
use. The business thrived and new products were added to the procedural tray
line to meet the specialized needs of hospitals, clinics and convalescent homes
.
During the 1990s there were a number of unsuccessful acquisitions and as a result, revenues declined. In 1999, the Company sold the hospital products business and decided to focus on the first aid products line. Today, PhysiciansCare sells first aid kits, refills, OTC medications and safety products in the school, home, office, hardware and industrial markets.
The company first outsourced the packaging, but because the business did so well, Acme Shear, in 1969, opened a manufacturing plant in Fremont, North Carolina, that met government requirements for the production and packaging of medical equipment.
instruments, and ACU-Dyne povidone-iodine germicide packaged in bottles and flexible packages. Each year, new products were added to meet the specialized needs of its customers. In 1978, the company brought a line of wound dressings
to the market.
, a medical supplier from the United Kingdom
that had recently entered the market.
, UK. With this deal, Acme United obtained exclusive distribution rights to Seton's pressure therapy bandages
and specialized wound dressings.
Later in 1992, the company acquired the exclusive marketing and distribution rights for a number of intravenous therapy
products for hospitals and the after-care market from OPCO Medical Products Ltd. Also in 1992, Acme United acquired the U.S. marketing and distribution rights for the Royl-Derm lines of skin care and wound-care products, designed to relieve or eliminate the pain connected with skin burn
s, wounds, ulcers and blemishes often experienced by elderly and bed-ridden patients.
However, the company encountered many problems with bringing these new items to the market. After a few unsuccessful attempts to launch the OPCO products, Acme decided to discontinue this line in 1995. Royl-Derm was also discontinued one year later. As it was launched simultaneously with several competitive brands, which resulted in widespread price cutting and slow acceptance of the Royl-Derm line. Sales of the medical products division declined by 12% in 1996. The reorganisation continued. In 1997, Acme United sold its distribution rights for certain wound care products back to Seton Healthcare International Limited for approximately $2.0 million. The sale did allow the company to focus more on its core line, consumer products.
Because revenues from its medical division continued to decline, Acme United took a drastic decision in 1999. The company sold its hospital products business for $8.2 million to Medical Action Industries, Inc., and decided to focus exclusively on the first aid products line.
, and head protection
, and ergonomic supports and braces. From early on, increased sales of first aid kits, bandages, antiseptics, ointments, eye wash, gloves and barrier masks had a positive impact on the company’s results.
In 2004, Acme introduced the PhysiciansCare branded line of over-the-counter medications including the active ingredients aspirin
, acetaminophen and Ibuprofen
, etc. The Physicians Care product name would later be adopted for the company’s entire First Aid products line. In 2008, the PhysiciansCare Ready Care Kits and Triage First Aid Stations were introduced and in 2009 Flu Care Kits and a line of safety products with Microban were brought to the market.
(FDA) facility through which these products are distributed. In addition, a number of safety products are distributed under the BodyGear Brand.
and First Aid Only.
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
and over-the-counter
Over-the-counter drug
Over-the-counter drugs are medicines that may be sold directly to a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare professional, as compared to prescription drugs, which may be sold only to consumers possessing a valid prescription...
(OTC) medical products
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
brand of Acme United Corporation
Acme United Corporation
Acme United Corporation is a supplier of cutting, measuring and safety products for the school, home, office, hardware and industrial markets. The company was organized as a partnership in 1867 and incorporated in 1882 under the laws of the State of Connecticut...
. The history of PhysiciansCare dates back to 1965, when Acme Shear, the predecessor of Acme United Corp., entered the medical industry, with the production of disposable medical scissors
Scissors
Scissors are hand-operated cutting instruments. They consist of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting various thin materials, such as paper, cardboard, metal foil, thin...
and instruments
Medical device
A medical device is a product which is used for medical purposes in patients, in diagnosis, therapy or surgery . Whereas medicinal products achieve their principal action by pharmacological, metabolic or immunological means. Medical devices act by other means like physical, mechanical, thermal,...
for hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
use. The business thrived and new products were added to the procedural tray
Tray
A tray is a shallow platform designed for carrying things. It is larger than a salver, a diminutive version commonly used for lighter and smaller servings, and it can be fashioned from numerous materials, including silver, brass, sheet iron, wood, melamine, and papier-mâché...
line to meet the specialized needs of hospitals, clinics and convalescent homes
Convalescence
Convalescence is the gradual recovery and of health and strength after illness. It refers to the later stage of an infectious disease or illness when the patient recovers and returns to normal, but may continue to be a source of infection even if feeling better...
.
During the 1990s there were a number of unsuccessful acquisitions and as a result, revenues declined. In 1999, the Company sold the hospital products business and decided to focus on the first aid products line. Today, PhysiciansCare sells first aid kits, refills, OTC medications and safety products in the school, home, office, hardware and industrial markets.
1960s
Acme Shear, a major scissors manufacturer, entered the medical products field in l965, because of increasing demand for disposable medical scissors and surgical instruments. The company manufactured the products and sold them to hospital distributors. These simple devices, formed from coiled steel, could be sterilized, thereby avoiding passing infections between patients.The company first outsourced the packaging, but because the business did so well, Acme Shear, in 1969, opened a manufacturing plant in Fremont, North Carolina, that met government requirements for the production and packaging of medical equipment.
1970s
During the 1970s, medical expenditures increased, and so did demand for medical instruments. Acme Shear, which changed its name to Acme United in 1971, acquired One Time Package Products Inc., in 1972. This deal allowed the company's Medical Products Division to market its own line of products, including One Time disposable procedure trays, disposable stainless steelStainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
instruments, and ACU-Dyne povidone-iodine germicide packaged in bottles and flexible packages. Each year, new products were added to meet the specialized needs of its customers. In 1978, the company brought a line of wound dressings
Dressing (medical)
A dressing is an adjunct used by a person for application to a wound to promote healing and/or prevent further harm. A dressing is designed to be in direct contact with the wound, which makes it different from a bandage, which is primarily used to hold a dressing in place...
to the market.
1980s
Acme United’s results flourished thanks to its successful medical products business. This would completely change during the 1980s for three reasons. First of all, the company’s biggest customer, American Hospital Supply, who accounted for $22 million in sales in 1983, decided to start manufacturing medical products themselves. Secondly, hospitals began to pool their orders so that they were able to demand steeper discounts, which affected Acme United's margins. And finally, the company faced strong competition from Smith & NephewSmith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew plc is a global medical devices company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of arthroscopy products, second-largest producer of advanced wound management products, third-largest producer of trauma and clinical therapy products and...
, a medical supplier from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that had recently entered the market.
1990s
Despite the difficult market conditions, the company set on an expansion course during the early nineties. In January l992, it acquired SePro Healthcare, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of the Seton Healthcare Group, PLC of OldhamOldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, UK. With this deal, Acme United obtained exclusive distribution rights to Seton's pressure therapy bandages
Bandages
Bandages are a medical treatment.Bandages may also refer to:* "Bandages" , by Hot Hot Heat* Bandages , by the Edgar Broughton Band...
and specialized wound dressings.
Later in 1992, the company acquired the exclusive marketing and distribution rights for a number of intravenous therapy
Intravenous therapy
Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the infusion of liquid substances directly into a vein. The word intravenous simply means "within a vein". Therapies administered intravenously are often called specialty pharmaceuticals...
products for hospitals and the after-care market from OPCO Medical Products Ltd. Also in 1992, Acme United acquired the U.S. marketing and distribution rights for the Royl-Derm lines of skin care and wound-care products, designed to relieve or eliminate the pain connected with skin burn
Burn
A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
s, wounds, ulcers and blemishes often experienced by elderly and bed-ridden patients.
However, the company encountered many problems with bringing these new items to the market. After a few unsuccessful attempts to launch the OPCO products, Acme decided to discontinue this line in 1995. Royl-Derm was also discontinued one year later. As it was launched simultaneously with several competitive brands, which resulted in widespread price cutting and slow acceptance of the Royl-Derm line. Sales of the medical products division declined by 12% in 1996. The reorganisation continued. In 1997, Acme United sold its distribution rights for certain wound care products back to Seton Healthcare International Limited for approximately $2.0 million. The sale did allow the company to focus more on its core line, consumer products.
Because revenues from its medical division continued to decline, Acme United took a drastic decision in 1999. The company sold its hospital products business for $8.2 million to Medical Action Industries, Inc., and decided to focus exclusively on the first aid products line.
2000s
At the turn of the century, the company rapidly expanded its safety product line with new first aid kits, hearing, eyeEye protection
Eye protection is protective gear for the eyes, which comes in many types depending upon the threat that is to be reduced. The threats can be particles, light, wind blast, heat, sea spray or some type of ball or puck used in sports...
, and head protection
Hard hat
A hard hat is a type of helmet predominantly used in workplace environments, such as construction sites, to protect the head from injury by falling objects, impact with other objects, debris, bad weather and electric shock. Inside the helmet is a suspension that spreads the helmet's weight over the...
, and ergonomic supports and braces. From early on, increased sales of first aid kits, bandages, antiseptics, ointments, eye wash, gloves and barrier masks had a positive impact on the company’s results.
In 2004, Acme introduced the PhysiciansCare branded line of over-the-counter medications including the active ingredients aspirin
Aspirin
Aspirin , also known as acetylsalicylic acid , is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication. It was discovered by Arthur Eichengrun, a chemist with the German company Bayer...
, acetaminophen and Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used for relief of symptoms of arthritis, fever, as an analgesic , especially where there is an inflammatory component, and dysmenorrhea....
, etc. The Physicians Care product name would later be adopted for the company’s entire First Aid products line. In 2008, the PhysiciansCare Ready Care Kits and Triage First Aid Stations were introduced and in 2009 Flu Care Kits and a line of safety products with Microban were brought to the market.
Present
Today, Acme United Corporation sells first aid kits, refills, first responder kits and OTC medications under the PhysiciansCare Brand. These products are mainly sold to the school, home, office, hardware and industrial markets. The company owns and operates a U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationFood and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
(FDA) facility through which these products are distributed. In addition, a number of safety products are distributed under the BodyGear Brand.
Competition
The major competitors for PhysiciansCare are Johnson & JohnsonJohnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
and First Aid Only.