Polish OTC market to grow 7% year on year in 2015, bolstered by higher incidence of flu

Although various stakeholders are invested in limiting the availability of over-the-counter (OTC) products, the OTC market in Poland will grow by nearly 7% year-on-year in 2015, says market research firm PMR.

In the next few years the market will continue to grow and move towards the concept of a beauty supply store merged with a pharmacy, or the establishment of parapharmacies. Polish market players are currently testing the hybrid health-beauty stores such as Super-Pharm or parapharmacies like Ziko, which offer primarily OTC medications and are not registered as pharmacies so are not subject to restrictions on advertising.

Many companies are looking to expand their OTC product portfolio in the future and are already involved in research in this domain. Consumers and health care practitioners do not eagerly accept equivalents of those already on the market, but unique products with clinically confirmed effects can translate to higher sales, if accompanied by strong marketing.