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{{Short description|American brand of cough drop}}
[[File:Ludens Honey-Licorice Cough Drops.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Luden's Honey-Licorice Cough Drops]]
'''Luden's''' is an American brand of [[cough drop]] that is currently manufactured and sold in the US by [[Prestige Consumer Healthcare]]. Company headquarters are in [[Tarrytown, New York]]. 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.<ref>[http://www.ludens.com/sore-throat-remedies/ Luden’s® Throat Drops - For Minor Throat Irritation<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==History==
[[William H. Luden]] 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]].<ref name="ReadingEagle">{{cite web|url=http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=54964 |title=The Luden story |publisher=The Reading Eagle (newspaper) |accessdate=October 27, 2013}}</ref>
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.<ref name="ReadingEagle2" /> In 1967 filmmaker [[Ed Seeman]] hired musician [[Frank Zappa]] to collaborate on a Luden's television commercial.<ref name=clio>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAUvFst5bOI  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/WAUvFst5bOI |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=ZAPPA'S LUDEN'S COUGH DROPS |publisher=youtube.com |accessdate=October 27, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Zappa's music was matched with Seeman's animation and the advertisement won a [[Clio award]] for "Best Use of Sound".<ref name=clio/> In 1980 the company acquired Queen Anne Candy Co., based in [[Hammond, Indiana]].
The Dietrich family sold Luden's Inc. to [[The Hershey Company|Hershey Foods Corp]] in 1986, resulting in the termination of 98 salaried and 350 hourly workers.<ref name="ReadingEagle2">{{cite web |url=http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=54968 |title=From Luden's Mother's Kitchen to the World |publisher=The Reading Eagle (newspaper) |accessdate=October 27, 2013 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202822/http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=54968 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Luden's Throat Drops brand was sold by Hershey's to [[Pharmacia]] in 2001. In 2003, Pharmacia was acquired by [[Pfizer]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060617214130/http://www.pfizer.com/pfizer/history/2003.jsp Pfizer | Exploring Our History | 2000 – Present | 2003 – Pfizer and Pharmacia Merge<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 2006, Pfizer sold its consumer products division, including the Luden's line, to [[Johnson & Johnson]].<ref name="ReadingEagle" />
As of 2008, packages of Luden's throat drops displayed the slogan "'''T'''rusted '''L'''uden's '''C'''are – Everyone needs a little '''TLC'''".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trademarkia.com/trusted-ludens-care-77626351.html |title=TRUSTED LUDEN'S CARE |publisher=Legal Force Trademarkia |accessdate=October 27, 2013}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.charlesbank.com/news/archive/2009/charlesbank-capital-partners-acquires-five-consumer-products-from-mcneil-ppc/ |title=Charlesbank Capital Partners Acquires Five Consumer Products From McNeil-PPC |publisher=Charlesbank Capital Partners, LLC |accessdate=October 27, 2013}}</ref><ref name="bst">{{cite web|url=http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/news/2010/11/charlesbank-sells-blacksmith-brands-prestige-brands#.Um0eIhKT5E4 |title=Charlesbank Sells Blacksmith Brands to Prestige Brands |publisher=Bioscience Technology |accessdate=October 27, 2013}}</ref>
In late 2010, [[Prestige Brands]] acquired Blacksmith Brands.<ref name="bst" />
==Ingredients==
Luden's brand throat drops are [[demulcent]]s (meaning an irritation reliever) and some Luden's, such as their Menthol and Honey offer a mild [[Topical anesthetic|oral anesthetic]]s. The [[active ingredient]] in fruit flavors is [[pectin]], a soluble gelatinous [[polysaccharide]] 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]], an oral anesthetic and irritant reliever.<ref name="dailymed1">{{cite web|url=http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=5dc2baec-a9ed-4f6b-a7ed-76a5d35739ac |title=LUDENS ORIGINAL MENTHOL THROAT DROPS (menthol) lozenge LUDENS HONEY LICORICE THROAT DROPS (menthol) lozenge LUDENS HONEY LEMON THROAT DROPS (menthol) lozenge  |publisher=Daily Med |accessdate=October 27, 2013}}</ref><ref name="dailymed2">{{cite web|url=http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=adfb248a-96bb-4742-9df6-c47edccdd671 |title=LUDENS WILD CHERRY THROAT DROPS (pectin) lozenge LUDENS BERRY ASSORTMENT THROAT DROPS (pectin) lozenge |publisher=Daily Med |accessdate=October 27, 2013}}</ref>
The drops' [[inactive ingredient]]s 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.<ref name="dailymed1" /><ref name="dailymed2" />
==References==
{{reflist|33em}}
==External links==
* [http://www.ludens.com/ Official website]
[[Category:1879 introductions]]
[[Category:Throat lozenges]]
[[Category:Demulcents]]
[[Category:Prestige Brands brands]]