A popular hangover remedy used around the world is coming to America. Berocca — an orange disc that dissolves in water — is packed with B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc, and sometimes caffeine.
BloombergBusinessweek reports that
Bayer has just brought the product stateside and is selling it in Safeway, CVS, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, and Target.
Berocca has become a preferred hangover remedy in Australia and is popular in South Africa, England, Korea, and France, and dozens of other countries.
The Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche came up with Berocca and started selling it in the 1960s. The first part of the name was a reflection of the B vitamins, the RO stood for Roche, and the CA stood for calcium. Bu, and by the 1980s the company was marketing it as if not exactly a hangover cure, then something close to it.
Bayer acquired the product in 2005 after buying Roche’s consumer health group and helped expand sales of Berocca to 70 countries. Now the product appears regularly on hangover cure lists all over the globe.
Bayer’s official position: “Whilst there have been no studies conducted on the effect of Berocca on hangovers, alcohol can affect the absorption and use of the B group vitamins. Apart from the other essential vitamins and minerals, Berocca is a high-dose vitamin B supplement which may help restore depleted levels of B-vitamins. Drinking a lot of water or other rehydrating drinks will help towards preventing or lessening most hangover symptoms. Having a Berocca effervescent tablet in water may also help you rehydrate.”