The over-the-counter (OTC) medicines market continues to grow, with sales totalling £2.45bn in 2013. Short-term influences on the market include the incidence of seasonal conditions such as hay fever, and colds and flu, while long-term drivers include innovation, improved availability and increased incidence of the target ailment.
This infographic shows a breakdown of sales in 2013, and whether sales in each category have increased or decreased compared with 2012. It also highlights the bestselling brands in the hay fever category, which saw the largest growth in sales, and the coughs, colds and sore throat category, which saw the largest fall in sales.
Over-the-counter (OTC) medicine statistics
Source: Data provided by IRI. Data is for sales of OTC products (including own label and generic) from all multiple and independent pharmacies and most supermarket and grocery outlets in Great Britain for 52 weeks to December 2013.
