Digestive Remedies in Hong Kong, China

PROSPECTS

Modern living contributes to digestive problems

Modern lifestyles are contributing to an increase in demand for digestive remedies. The rapid pace of modern, urban living and its long, increasingly unbounded working hours have eroded traditional, more formal eating habits and led to the rise of snacking and irregular on-the-go consumption.

Stagnation forecast

While modern lifestyles are contributing to a rise in digestive health problems, digestive remedies is expected to see sales stagnate over the forecast period. The category’s potential for expansion is being constrained by concerns about the possibility of side-effects resulting from taking digestive remedies, potentially including serious longer-term health problems.

Two growth categories

Digestive enzymes and diarrhoeal remedies are the only categories forecast to see an increase in sales over 2018-2023 in constant value terms. Digestive enzymes are popular remedies for the symptoms of conditions, such as acid reflux, gas and bloating, which are associated with stressful lives and unhealthy eating.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Japanese player leads

Japanese company, Taiko Pharmaceutical is the leading player in digestive remedies in Hong Kong. The company’s strength in the category is founded on its widely recognised Trumpet Seirogan brand of diarrhoeal remedies, which is commonly found in Hong Kong stores.

Sustained demand for local products

As in other categories, concerns about the potential side-effects of Western medicines support a sustained demand for local products containing natural ingredients. One of the longest-established local brands in the market, Li Chung Shing Tong’s diarrhoeal remedy, Po Chai, ranks second in digestive remedies behind Trumpet Seirogan.

Enzyplex growth may be hit be product withdrawal

UNAM Corp was the fastest-growing player in digestive remedies in 2018 thanks to the strong performance of the Indonesian-manufactured, Enzyplex brand, the leading brand in the expanding digestive enzymes category. However, Enzyplex’s sales suffered from the withdrawal of the brand from stores, as well as hospitals, in Hong Kong in the latter part of 2018 as a result of the discovery of Minascus mould on the tablets.

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