Where did TCP go?
According to a spokesperson for Pfizer in South Africa, the rights to TCP have been sold to a Belgian company known as Omega Pharma for "strategic reasons".Nazareth (Belgium) – 26 May 2004 – Omega Pharma has agreed to acquire a portfolio of 60 European OTC and personal care brands from Pfizer for cash consideration of €135 million (approximately $US163 million). The transaction is expected to be completed at or shortly after the end of June 2004. The portfolio of brands is concentrated in certain therapeutic areas, principally skin care (both medicated and cosmetic), hair care, women’s health, head lice treatment and upper respiratory tract. Some of the leading brands in the portfolio include Angstrom, Buttercup, Claire Fisher, Cyklokapron, Eau Précieuse, Fenuril, Lyclear, Restivoil, TCP, and Trofodermin.
Marc Robinson, President of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, commented: “This agreement streamlines our product portfolio and enables us to focus our resources on our core brands in Europe, a key region for us.”
Read the full statement here.
I heard that TCP was removed from the market
This is a fallacy and totally untrue. As you can see from the above statement that Omega Pharma bought the rights to TCP. No company would waste money purchasing a product that was deemed unfit for human use.The following statements however are unofficial, but we have it under good authority that the primary reason the TCP brand was sold is that the manufacturing facility was nearing the end of its life and in order to comply with the new environmental protection act, the cost would have been to great to refurbish. At the time, Omega Pharma was not really interested in TCP but rather some of the other brands; Pfizer added TCP to the deal, thereby killing two birds with one stone, getting rid of a manufacturing headache and secondly to convert their problem into a profitable sale.
I heard that the ingredients were banned.
Once again this is untrue. The United Kingdom is one of the largest consumers of TCP in the world. Not only is it available through pharmacies and retail outlets but is used extensively in their hospitals and clinics. The MHRA (the organization that governs medicine registration) and probably one of the most stringent regulatory authorities in the world, has deemed it fit for human and oral use.Is 3CP the same as TCP
We spent an enormous amount of money and over one and a half years researching the ingredients of TCP and can categorically state that the ingredients in 3CP are identical to that of TCPIngredients
TCP (as provided by the MHRA-UK registration document) Halogented Phenols 0.68% w/v, Phenol 0.175%, Sodium Salicylate, glycerol, phosphoric acid, Quinoline Yellow (E104), purified water.3CP (as registered in SA and detailed on the packaging) Halogented Phenols 0.695% w/v, Phenol 0.175%, Sodium Salicylate, glycerol, phosphoric acid, Quinoline Yellow (E104).
Why is there a discrepancy with the halogentated phenols? This is due to the fact that 3CP follows more closely the original SA version of TCP.
Why is 3CP not called TCP?
Omega Pharma are the owners of the MCC registration docket, and therefore legally we cannot call 3CP, TCP.Why are there some people importing and selling TCP?
Before 3CP came onto the market there was still a small demand, particularly from the fishing community, to obtain TCP. This practice is highly illegal. In order to import TCP the importer would have to falsify their import documentation as a medicine would require an import permit. Secondly in order to sell TCP in South Africa, it would require an MCC registration as a medicine and as Omega Pharma owns the registration document the MCC would not be able to authorize TCP for sale. Companies and retailers selling TCP would expose themselves to a hefty fine if this information was made available to the Dept. of Health Inspectorate division.What does the acronym "TCP" stand for?
No one really knows, but prior to 1950 it was thought to contain a chemical called trichlorophenylmethyliodosalicyl, however we have never been able to find any reference to this chemical ingredient. After 1950 when the formulation changed it was thought to stand for "Tri-Chloro-Phenol" in particularly 2,4,6 - trichlorophenol, however we can vouch that this is highly unlikely as 3CP contains 11 ingredients.Why is TCP/3CP so popular?
The main reason is that there is currently no other product on the market that offers such versatility in one bottle. 3CP performs so many functions which negates the need to purchase 3 or 4 other products. 3CP's anti-microbial function is so powerful that consumers have trusted its ability to perform for the whole family, it truly is a "Jack of all Trades" type of product.I believe that TCP/3CP helps AIDS patients?
There was great dissappointment especially from rural pharmacists who dispensed TCP to AIDS patients who suffered with mouth sores (Kaposi's sarcoma) being the most common. Since its departure, it has been reported that there has yet to be a product that met TCP's ability in treating oral lesions in AIDS patients. We are pleased to report that many a rural pharmacy is delighted with the results being observed with 3CP.