In 1992, US retail sales of prescription to over-the-counter switched drugs totaled $3.3 billion, says FIND-SVP, and by 1998 should reach $7.3 billion as more drugs are switched. Currently, over 400 OTC drugs in the USA use ingredients and dosages available on prescription only 15 years ago; abroad, over 30 OTC drugs still need a prescription in the USA.
The most successful US switch in the past was Advil (ibuprofen), with 1992 sales of over $32 million at ex-factory prices. However, when Schering Plough's GyneLotrimin (clotrimazole) went OTC, it took the lion's share of a new $400 million market. Annual OTC sales are more than $100 million, over four times its prescription sales.
"It's a very positive trend for the consumer," says the NonPrescription Drug manufacturers Association. "And in the context of the health care reform debate, what's being discussed is cost and access. Nonprescription medicines offer solutions to both issues."
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