Asia-Pacific Over-the-counter (OTC) Drugs Market Trends

The OTC market has been witnessing strong growth resulting from the rising demand from the consumers to self-medicate. In countries with high population, such as China and India, the patients mostly rely on their neighborhood chemist to prescribe the appropriate medicines for illnesses, such as cough, cold, nasal congestion, or fever. In India, the frequency of certain ailments, like common colds and headaches, is significantly high and inconsistent across states. At the same time, consumers are becoming more prone to seeking over-the-counter (OTC) remedies and medicines rather than checking in with their physicians. In India, consumers are found to be dependent on OTC for cough, cold, or flu medicines, as these drugs are believed to offer instant relief. Owing to their easy procurement, the sales of OTC drugs for cough, cold, and flu have increased. Furthermore, many countries in South Asia-Pacific and Japan have a large number of the elderly population who are more prone to diseases. Thus, this factor is also likely to drive the OTC drugs market in the future.