Pharmacy market continues to narrow gap on 2022, due to inflation, recovery still slow
The pharmacy market continues to narrow the gap on 2022 even though due to inflation the recovery in values is faster than in volumes.
This is the indication that comes from the report with which Iqvia updates numbers and percentages of the channel to the week of January 23-29: in one month the channel totals a turnover of two billion euros, -3.2 percent compared to the same period in 2022, amounting to 195.8 million package sales, -9.5 percent over the past year.
The recovery over 2022 is most evident in the ethical drug segment: in four weeks, turnover reaches 1.13 billion (+1.5% over 2022) and packs to 118.6 million (unchanged over the previous year).
THE PHARMACY MARKET TO THE FOURTH WEEK OF 2023
Not coming out of the minus sign, on the other hand, is the commercial area, which in one month touches 871 million in values (down 8.8 percent on 2022) and 77.2 million in pieces sold (-21 percent). It is rare to observe such a counter-trend (usually, it was the commercial area that grew and the ethical drug that declined), so it will be opportune in the weeks to come to point the lens on the phenomenon to see if there is a significant contraction in private consumption induced by the high cost of living at its origin.
ETHICAL DRUG, CONSUMPTION IN VALUES AND VOLUMES
COMMERCIAL AREA, THE TREND IN VALUE AND VOLUME
TRADE AREA, THE PERFORMANCE OF THE BASKETS.
The sales figures for the main free-sale baskets, moreover, should be read with great caution: personal care, for example, grew in January by 9.6 percent in value and 4.5 percent in volume, but it should not be forgotten that the comparison is with a period-January 2022-when the omicron wave discouraged personal care consumption.
BASKET OF PERSONAL CARE (PEC)
FOCUS PEC, DERMOCOSMETIC
FOCUS PEC, FEMALE BEAUTY
On the other hand, the vitamins and supplements basket shows a minus sign, losing 7.4 percent in value and 15.7 percent in volume compared to a year ago, but the opposite consideration could apply here.
FOCUS OTC: VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS
FOCUS OTC: COUGH PRODUCTS
FOCUS OTC: PROBIOTICI
Among other baskets in sharp decline was patient care, which closed the month with a loss on 2022 of 60 percent in value and 61 percent in volume.
PATIENT CARE BASKET (PAC)
NUTRITIONAL BASKETS, VALUES AND VOLUMES
SEASONALITY: ADULT AND PEDIATRIC ANALGESICS
SEASONALITY: ANTACIDS
SEASONALITY: TONICS
Source: February 2022, “Iqvia, prosegue il recupero sul 2022: dopo quattro settimane -3,2% a valori e -9,5% a volumi”, pharmacy scanner.
