ANALGESIA NO PAIN: PLENTY TO GAIN
AS THE DEMAND FOR OTC ANALGESICS CONTINUES TO GROW...PIF LOOKS AT THE LARGEST SECTOR WITHIN OTC PHARMACEUTICALS AND CONSIDERS HOW COMMUNITY PHARMACY CAN OPTIMISE SALES...
T
he UK analgesics market is currently valued at around £505 million and accounts for 23 per
cent of over-the-counter (OTC) sales. Hardly surprising when you consider that, according to the British Pain Society, ten million people in the UK are in pain every day.
With two thirds of the adult population in the UK estimated to purchase an analgesic every year - research shows that shoppers pick up about nine packets of analgesic treatments over the course of six shopping trips each year - the market provides great retail opportunities for community pharmacy.
The pharmaceutical companies have recognised these opportunities and have reacted accordingly, with many providing ‘quick access’ information and training for pharmacy staff in pain management.
Companies such as Reckitt Benckiser (https://rbforhealth.
co.uk) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) (
mypharmassist.co.uk) have produced packages which are intended to teach pharmacy staff about the right questions to ask and about which analgesic should be suggested for which particular types of pain, while others, such as Omega Pharma, the manufacturer of Solpadeine, are investing £4 million in a campaign to support pharmacy staff with training booklets and online tools.
SO, WHICH TYPES OF PAIN TREATMENT ARE PATIENTS LOOKING FOR? Well, new research from Mintel has shown that oral remedies are still the most popular treatment type for dealing with pain, aided by their ability to provide relief quickly and comprehensively. Convenience is likely to be another factor behind
the format’s popularity, underscored by the high proportion of adults who indicate that they tend to keep painkillers to hand.
As a result, Mintel’s statistics show that the market for OTC analgesics and cold and fl u remedies is in good health, having increased twelve per cent between 2010 and 2015 when the market reached £1.2 billion. The market is set to continue to increase with sales forecast to grow by 16 per cent over the next fi ve years, reaching an estimated £1.4 billion in 2020.
TYPES OF PAINKILLER In terms of the type of remedies taken, while three in ten (29 per cent) OTC users prefer painkillers designed for specifi c types of pain, more than two thirds (67 per cent) say they are happy to use general painkillers to treat any pain.
Despite enjoying strong growth in
value sales in recent years, penetration of topical remedies to treat pain is comparatively lower than that of oral remedies. As well as carrying typically higher price points, topical remedies are not as suited to on-the-go use, whilst not all pains lend themselves to topical relief.
The graphic (bottom left) from January of this year, shows ailments experienced and treatment sought in the last twelve months for various types of pain.
HEADACHES/MIGRAINE Headaches and migraine are by far the most common type of pain that’s experienced in the UK. Migraine is one of the most frequent headache disorders and occurs more frequently in women than in men, affecting around fi fteen per cent of the adult population of the UK, with 80 per cent of those affected having a family history of the problem.
First attacks usually occur in childhood and approximately 80 per cent of sufferers will have had their fi rst attack by the age of 30. The prevalence in adolescents is between ten and 19 per cent and in children is three per cent.
Tension headaches are the most common form of headaches and affect more than 20 per cent of the population. Frequently, tension headache sufferers turn to over-the- counter medications for relief.
As the graphic shows, the majority of people who experienced headache and migraine in the last twelve months turned to OTC treatments. The key to correct treatment of headache depends, however, on the type of headache experienced:
TENSION HEADACHES Tension headaches are the most common type of headache and are what most people think of as ‘everyday’ headaches. Tension headaches feel like a constant ache that affects both sides of the head, almost as if a tight band is stretched around it. Most will last from about 30 minutes to several hours, but can last for several days. Tension headaches can usually be treated with ordinary painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, although
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