Asia Pacific

In general, consumer health in Kazakhstan is performing well towards the end of the review period. However, high inflation, increases in the costs of raw materials for the production of medicines and changed or disrupted logistics/supply routes have…

Sales of OTC products in Japan continue on the path to recovery in 2023 as the country sees an end to the pandemic. With the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the pandemic to be over in early 2023 there have been increased opportunities to go…

Overall consumer health is set to maintain growth in current value terms in 2023, although this is expected to be slower than in the previous three years. The pandemic has ceased to have a notable impact in Indonesia, and there are many categories…

Rising health awareness amongst consumers in India is set to lead to double-digit current value growth in consumer health in 2023. In the wake of the pandemic, people have undergone a transformative shift in their priorities, emphasising health and…

Post-pandemic 2023 saw lifted restrictions lead to the return of tourists to Hong Kong and a rebound in tourism consumption, particularly for OTC products. Mainland Chinese tourists, who were once a key consumer group for these products, began to…

Consumer health in China recorded high single-digit current value growth in 2022, mainly due to the COVID-19-related sales surge for OTC products, and this growth trend is set to continue in 2023, mainly due to rising health awareness. In terms of…

In 2023, Cambodia seems to have recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, consumer health demand is rising due to modernisation, urbanisation, and health risks from harmful chemicals. Nonetheless, challenges still exist, such as external…

In Bangladesh, consumer health faces the challenge of inflation across various categories in 2023. Meanwhile, consumer preferences are shifting towards modern medicine due to its perceived quick effectiveness, leading to a decline in demand for…

Consumer health in Azerbaijan is seeing something of a resurgence in 2023. New entrants are livening up the marketplace, and fresh medications are making their mark. The once-stringent Tariff Regulatory Authority has taken a step back, loosening the…

The pandemic boosted demand for analgesics in Vietnam, as consumers believed that it was necessary to store analgesics at home as a precautionary measure. Adult and paediatric acetaminophen performed particularly well in 2020 and 2021, as…

Analgesics in Uzbekistan is still developing with growth opportunities in several subcategories. Current value sales remained in double-digits in 2023 continuing the trend seen throughout the review period. Analgesics tend to be purchased in…

Towards the end of the review period, demand for analgesics was supported by the widening of the consumer base for these products as the advantages of using analgesics to manage headaches and other moderate types of pain became better known among the…

Despite a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases, demand for analgesics continued to grow in 2023. This was partly due to the revival of pre-pandemic behavioural patterns, including the cessation of mask wearing and social distancing, which meant…

The topical analgesics/anaesthetic category is poised to record the fastest growth in volume and current value terms within analgesics in 2023, and looks set to show improved results in both respects as compared to 2022. These types of products…

Despite the overall waning impact of the pandemic in South Korea, simultaneous new outbreaks of COVID-19, influenza, and the common cold (referred to as a “tripledemic” in the country) are leading to a sharp increase in the number of consumers…

Due to the high rates of vaccination amongst Singaporeans, systemic analgesics were purchased in high quantities in 2022 to fulfil the demand to self-medicate amidst post-vaccination symptoms and common cold symptoms from later variants of the…

Analgesics is expected to register moderate constant value growth in 2023. In spite of continuing very high inflation, volume growth is also expected to be healthy, and is supported by continuing population growth. Price limits on analgesics is also…

The return of consumers to their busy-pandemic lifestyles had a positive impact on demand for analgesics in Malaysia in 2023. Within this, topical analgesics/anaesthetic remained the largest subcategory, as well as being the key driver of growth.…

Analgesics is projected to continue to post fast retail volume growth over 2023. The potential for even higher growth is restricted by many households retaining stocks of analgesics purchased during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. One clear…

Sales of analgesics in Japan have seen solid growth in current value terms in 2023 backed by increased opportunities for consumers to go out, the recovery in the number of inbound tourists, and a move away from the practice of wearing face masks on a…