Luden's is an American brand of

cough drop A throat lozenge (also known as a cough drop, sore throat sweet, troche, cachou, pastille or cough sweet) is a small, typically medicated tablet intended to be dissolved slowly in the mouth to temporarily stop coughs, lubricate, and soothe irri ...

that is currently manufactured and sold in the US by Prestige Consumer Healthcare. Company headquarters are in

Tarrytown, New York Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North ...

. Luden's products include Blue Raspberry, Honey Lemon, Honey Licorice, Kiwi-Strawberry, Orange, Original Menthol, Sugar-Free Wild Cherry, Watermelon, Wild Berry, Wild Cherry, and Wild Honey cough drops.

History

William H. Luden William Henry Luden (March 5, 1859 in Reading, Pennsylvania – May 8, 1949 in Atlantic City, New Jersey) was the developer of the menthol cough drop, and founder of the Luden's company and brand. Luden launched a backroom candy business in 1879 i ...

created the Luden's brand in 1879. Early products included cough drops and candy. Luden gave samples of his cough drops to railroad workers, giving the product national exposure in an early example of

guerrilla marketing Guerrilla marketing is an advertisement strategy in which a company uses surprise and/or unconventional interactions in order to promote a product or service. It is a type of publicity. The term was popularized by Jay Conrad Levinson's 1984 ...

. Luden's was acquired in 1928 by Food Industries of Philadelphia, a holding company owned by the Dietrich family. During its heyday under Dietrich ownership, Luden's produced more than 500 varieties of candy in addition to its better-known cough drops and employed more than 1,200 people. In 1967 fimmaker Ed Seeman hired musician

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...

to collaborate on a Luden's television commercial. Zappa's music was matched with Seeman's animation and the advertisement won a Clio award for "Best Use of Sound". In 1980 the company acquired Queen Anne Candy Co., based in

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County. As of the ...

. The Dietrich family sold Luden's Inc. to Hershey Foods Corp in 1986, resulting in the termination of 98 salaried and 350 hourly workers. Luden's Throat Drops brand was sold by Hershey's to

Pharmacia Pharmacia was a pharmaceutical and biotechnological company in Sweden that merged with the American pharmaceutical company Upjohn in 1995. History Pharmacia company was founded in 1911 in Stockholm, Sweden by pharmacist Gustav Felix Grönfeldt ...

in 2001. In 2003, Pharmacia was acquired by

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfize ...

. In 2006, Pfizer sold its consumer products division, including the Luden's line, to

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...

. As of 2008, packages of Luden's throat drops displayed the slogan "Trusted Luden's Care – Everyone needs a little TLC". In November 2009 Charlesbank Capital Partners/Blacksmith Brands announced that it had completed its acquisition of Luden's over-the-counter consumer products brands from McNeil-PPC, Inc. In late 2010,

Prestige Brands Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc. (formerly Prestige Brands, Inc.) is an American company that markets and distributes over-the-counter healthcare and household cleaning products. It was formed by the merger of Medtech Products, Inc., Prestige B ...

acquired Blacksmith Brands.

Ingredients

Luden's brand throat drops are

demulcent A demulcent (derived from the la, demulcere "caress") is a mucilaginous or oleaginous preparation that forms a soothing protective film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane. However, they generally help fo ...

s (meaning a swelling or irritation reliever) and mild oral anesthetics. The

active ingredient An active ingredient is any ingredient that provides biologically active or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or animals. The ...

in fruit flavors is

pectin Pectin ( grc, πηκτικός ': "congealed" and "curdled") is a heteropolysaccharide, a structural acid contained in the primary lamella, in the middle lamella, and in the cell walls of terrestrial plants. The principal, chemical component o ...

, a soluble gelatinous

polysaccharide Polysaccharides (), or polycarbohydrates, are the most abundant carbohydrates found in food. They are long chain polymeric carbohydrates composed of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages. This carbohydrate can react with w ...

found in ripe fruits. Pectin places a coating on the throat to reduce irritation and swelling. Original Menthol and the various Honey flavors contain

menthol Menthol is an organic compound, more specifically a monoterpenoid, made synthetically or obtained from the oils of corn mint, peppermint, or other mints. It is a waxy, clear or white crystalline substance, which is solid at room temperature ...

, an oral anesthetic and irritant reliever. The drops' inactive ingredients include FD&C blue No. 1, FD&C blue 2, FD&C red 40, ascorbic acid, citric acid, malic acid, sodium acetate, sodium chloride, caramel color, corn syrup, flavors, soybean oil used as a processing aid, sucrose, and water.

References

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External links

Official website
1879 introductions Throat lozenges Demulcents Prestige Brands brands