The market of the consumer health represented the 26% of the sales in pharmacies in 2012,
according to the Asociación para el Autocuidado de la Salud (ANEFP) e IMS.
This sector is
configured as the second segment of sales just behind the prescription
medicines, positioned at the 61%, and above the generics, that supposed a 13%.
The market of the
consumer health contributes to a greater sustainability
of the health system as it reduces the sanitary expenses: the medical visits at
the primary center, the labor absenteeism and the expense on funded treatments,
among others. According to ANEFP, every 5 points of market share won by the
self-care supposes a save of 1.000 million Euros for the Sistema Nacional de
Salud (National Health System).
This market supposes a
large future opportunity for the
laboratories, but to deal with it successfully it should be taken into
account the particularities about the prescription market.
Here
are the key elements in the market of
the consumer health.
First, the laboratory
finds a potential objective public wider
in the health management (all those people that want to take care of their
health in a specific area) than in the sickness
management (only those people that are already have the disease). The range
of possibilities expands. According to the last studies done by Hamilton
Intelligence, more than the 85% of the
population consider that the self-care is the key to prevent sickness (both
chronic and minor).
In the second place, the patient becomes a purchaser. It exercises an active role on the
purchasing decision. It is the moment to work, not only on the rational
benefits, but also on the emotional of the products (quality of life, self-control,
…). As reported by last studies done by Hamilton Intelligence, 8 out of 10 individuals clearly understand
that the consumer health products provide benefits to their health.
The challenge is that the laboratory must be able to
localize and give value to their products with a differential benefit operable and communicable that will be able to
mobilize in the final purchase not only the purchaser but also the rest of the
different targets involved in the decision. Conforming to recent studies
done by Hamilton Intelligence, 7 out of
10 consumer health product purchasers consult and/or take advice for the health
professional: primary care doctor, nurse, nutritionist and/or pharmacist.
In the third place and related to the last point, if
the laboratory is able to localize that insight
(in-depth understanding of the real necessity, latent, unconscious or shameful
consumption), the purchaser will have a greater predisposition to pay that product. At the end, who of us would not
agree to spend some money in order to ensure a better quality life, prevent
some sickness or being more attractive, live more years and being able to enjoy
what we like?
The last point, the pharmacist also gets a more active role and becomes the prescriber, resulting each time more
necessarily keeping and narrowing the
relation with the pharmacy office.
According to studies done by Hamilton Intelligence
during the last months, the factors that
the pharmacist values higher in order to determine its satisfaction with a
laboratory are: in the first place the products,
in the second place their commercial conditions and
at the last point, their process of
purchasing and the command
management; being those last two points
improvable for the laboratories.
Therefore, it becomes a challenge for the
laboratories betting for the consumer health market providing a differential
benefit for the consumer, detecting the price elasticity and working on the
link with the health professional (medicals of primary attention, nurses,
nutritionist and, high concrete,
pharmacists).
Júlia Agulló
Jennifer Varón
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