Analgesics in Norway

PROSPECTS

The growth of prescribed acetaminophen and maturity prevent higher growth

Norwegian doctors are increasingly prescribing acetaminophen for their patients, leading to a proportional decline in the usage of OTC acetaminophen in relation to the total usage of acetaminophen. This prevented the higher growth of analgesics, as the demand for OTC acetaminophen was lower than it would have been without the increase in prescriptions.

Combination analgesics and topical analgesics/anaesthetic see strong growth

Combination products - analgesics is a rather new category, and therefore displayed one of the strongest growth rates during 2018, due to its low base. The products included in this category offer several analgesic benefits, such as paracetamol mixed with acetylsalicylic acid and caffeine.

Lifestyle changes stimulate growth

During the review period, Norway saw strong growth in the fitness and wellness trends; this is projected to continue throughout the forecast period. These trends led to the stronger growth of categories such as topical analgesics/anaesthetic in the review period, as consumers who are participating more in sport are occasionally in need of muscle relief.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Larger brands gain share

Overall, larger brands such as Paracet and Ibux, which dominate the acetaminophen and ibuprofen categories respectively, saw strong growth in the last couple of years. The rationale is that there is a shortage of generic brands which could compete in the budget segment, as is the case in Sweden.

Weifa is acquired by Karo Pharma

Domestic company Weifa was acquired by Swedish company Karo Pharma in 2017, which was therefore the new dominant player in analgesics in Norway in GBO terms during 2018. Weifa owns the two largest brands, Paracet and Ibux, and several smaller brands, such as Paracetduo.

Voltarol Forte sees the strongest sales in topical analgesics/anaesthetic

Stronger ingredients are on the rise in analgesics, as seen in the strong growth of Voltarol Forte. Indeed, the generic Voltarol lost some value share in recent years due to the strong growth of Voltarol Forte.

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