IPN August 2022

Irish Pharmacy News has been working with data analysts IQVIA for over seven years in compiling and bringing this information to our readers, pharmacy professionals of Ireland.

The Top 100 data is collated each year and summarises activity from May ‘21 to April ‘22. IQVIA uses data, technology, advanced analytics, and expertise to help customers across healthcare drive health forward. For many of these customers, having an accurate, timely view of product performance is critical to ensuring they are improving both business and patient outcomes. The Top 100 Over the Counter (OTC) Market Report is based on the total value of wholesale sales for OTC products into retail pharmacy over the course of the previous 12 months to April 2022 (May 2021- April 2022).

In looking at this years’ data, General Manager of IQVIA, Gwynne Morley told us “The 5 major OTC categories (including Pain relief, Cough and Cold remedies, Vitamins and Minerals, Skin Digestive Health) account for ¤378 million of the total value.

“Pain relief continues to be the most consumed OTC products in Ireland. The growth of this market declined in 2021, mainly due to the increased demand in over-thecounter painkillers by consumers in March 2020 in anticipation of the pandemic - 808,000 units were supplied to Irish pharmacies; an increase of 164% on the same week in 2019. This unprecedented demand exaggerated the growth in this market in 2020 as consumers had stock-piled pain medication in their homes and, it was perceived that growth in 2021 was poor. This is a contributing factor to the strong growth in this category in 2022.”

The Cough and Cold remedies category declined significantly in the period from May 2020 to April 2021.

Gwynne adds that in an environment where growth is becoming harder to achieve through volume or price, innovation has become the main growth and value driver. “Connected consumers also expect more from consumer health players,” she says. “They are more informed, have different expectations (e.g., sustainability, locally sourced, natural) and have a wider access to products and information from many online and offline channels. Yet the level of innovation in consumer health remains relatively low compared with other industries, and although it has increased in recent years, it remains hampered by regulatory and structural constraints.

Interestingly, the Consumer Health industry is thriving despite the chaos caused by the pandemic — and in some cases, because of it. The 18 months that consumers spent stuck at home, wearing masks, and avoiding public spaces has spurred innovation in the consumer health sector, and caused consumers to rethink their approach to health and wellness.

Gwynne adds, “With consumers forced to avoid shopping centres, they moved more of their dayto-day purchases online, with e-Pharmacies providing a safe and convenient online channel for purchasing essential healthcare products. As a result, e-Pharmacy sales now contribute about 5-10% of the global consumer health market.”

*Disclaimer: Please note that the seven year comparison listed opposite details a range from Jan-April for the years 2017-19 and 2022 from Jan-May for 2020. These, along with other comparisons with previous years, may include brands and categories whose classification may have changed over that period. The IPN/IQVIA Top 100 OTC products and the method of its collation evolves with the pharmacy sector and in this context, comparisons with previous years are for indicative purposes only. As such, all comparative data published in this issue is designed to offer readers a broad reference tool rather than a like for like comparison.