The Mentholatum Company is to offer pain sufferers drug-free relief with new patches under its Deep Heat range.
Positioned as a rival to products such as Nurofen Back Pain Heat Patches from Crookes Healthcare, WellPatch Deep Heat Patches roll out to Boots next month.
Like Crookes’ offering, they promise to deliver up to eight hours of warmth directly on the site of pain.
The patches, sold individually for £1.99, are activated when exposed to air.
According to the company, they are odourless and non-staining and can be used in addition to a pain sufferer’s usual choice of oral analgesic.
A £1.1m marketing campaign, including outdoor posters and ads in the national press, has been planned to support the launch.
A spokesman said the patch had already proved a “tremendous success” in the US and that the company anticipated a “similarly enthusiastic response from UK consumers”.
He added: “The patches are perfect for all kinds of uses.”