"Minor" Euro OTC Markets Growing Fast

Although Europe's nine minor self-medication markets have only a fraction of the per capita consumption of the five major markets, they are growing much faster, at 54% compared with 28% over the last six years, with forecast sales of $2.39 billion in 1996, says a new report from James Dudley Management. The five major markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK) are expected to report 1996 over-the-counter drug sales of $12.89 billion.

Belgium is the largest of these smaller markets, at 27% of the total, followed by Switzerland on 21%, Finland 13%, Poland 11%, Netherlands 9%, then Austria, Sweden, Hungary and Denmark on 6% each. Switzerland has the highest per capita consumption, estimated this year at $71.2, followed by Belgium on $64.6, Finland at $36.4, Denmark at $27.0, Austria at $19.5, Sweden on $17.6, the Netherlands at $14.3, Hungary at $12.8 and Poland on $6.9.

Despite the small size and low per capita income of Hungary and Poland, these emerging markets show the highest growth in expenditure during 1990-96, at 253% and 377% respectively, compared to only 20% for the mature Swiss market. The report notes that these central and eastern European market trends show no sign of slowing down.