Kline: Switch products help OTC sales reach record levels

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Sales of OTC medicines at the manufacturer's level grew by 1.4% in 2014, reaching more than $24 billion, Kline's Healthcare Practice reported Wednesday with the release of its Nonprescription Drugs USA study. Out of the seven product classes tracked by Kline, five posted growth, with upper respiratory, digestive products and feminine products moving at a faster pace.

 

"Among the key factors supporting the market’s growth are the sales and shares increases from select switch brands, such as Pfizer’s Nexium 24HR, which drove solid growth in the digestive products category, as well as the launch of Sanofi’s Nasacort 24HR, which generated healthy gains in the allergy category," reported Marcela Chifu, marketing coordinator, Kline's Consumer and Healthcare Practice.

 

Johnson & Johnson and Novartis, which had suffered major setbacks due to manufacturing issues in the past, overcame these issues to post solid gains in 2014 for several of their key OTC brands, including Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol and Motrin and Novartis’ Excedrin (now supplied by GlaxoSmithKline in its joint venture with Novartis). In addition, select switch brands continue to perform well, even if they are already a few years old. For example, Bayer’s MiraLAX was brought to the market through Rx-to-OTC switch in 2006 and had solid sales gains in 2014, Kline reported.

 

"Another trend that helped drive dollar sales is increased sales of OTC brands with premium price points, such as Plan B One Step (Teva) emergency contraceptive," Chifu reported.