Pharma firms expand focus on OTC segment

Size of over-the-counter market is pegged at Rs 13,000 crore

Domestic pharmaceutical companies are planning big on over-the-counter (OTC) drugs with new products and marketing campaigns. On Tuesday, Sun Pharmaceuticals launched an enhanced version of  its top-selling pain killer brand Volini spray and roped in tennis star Sania Mirza and Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri as brand ambassadors.

Also competing for a pie of the Rs 1,700-crore pain relief  product market is Dr Reddy's, which launched its Nise-D pain killer spray on Monday. It says the association with sport stars is a reflection of rising trend of active lifestyle and interest in sports other than cricket

The size of the OTC market is pegged at Rs 13,000 crore and is registering double-digit growth. The space is crowded with firms marketing herbal and ayurvedic products and dietary supplements. Increasingly, pharmaceutical companies, which sold only prescription drugs are ramping up their portfolio. Earlier this year, Cipla secured investment from private equity firm Fidelity Growth Partners for its consumer health care business. Cipla is planning a foray in nutritional product segment next year.

“In the consumer health care space, we have five key brands and we are in analgesics, health supplements and digestive remedies segment, too. Within these segments there is a significant potential. We have seen a very healthy growth,” said Subodh Marwah, head, global consumer health care of Sun Pharma.

While Volini always had celebrity endorsers including actors Sonali Bendre and Shilpa Shetty, Marwah said its association with the sport stars  symbolises the trend of active lifestyle and  public interest in non-cricket sports in India.

M V Ramana, executive vice-president and head branded markets (India and emerging countries), Dr. Reddy’s, said, “Nise-D Spray marks our entry into the new segment and further boosts our OTC portfolio and we expect it  to have a great momentum and significant market share across regions.”