Digestive Remedies in Sweden

PROSPECTS

Trend for consuming probiotics as method of prevention could continue to impact demand for certain digestive remedies

There is an increasing trend to use probiotics in Sweden, with many studies being reported in the local media that the regular consumption of products such as Activia and Actimel in packaged food can aid digestion and maintain a healthy gut. With probiotics heralded as a major health trend for 2019 and Swedish consumers inclined to take note of studies and data reported in the press, the demand for certain types of digestive remedies is beginning to wane.

Laxatives strong performer offsetting weaker demand for indigestion and heartburn remedies

Overall digestive remedies continued to record stable current value growth with the positive performance of laxatives marginally offsetting the weak performance of larger category indigestion and heartburn remedies. While some Swedes are starting to adopt healthier eating habits in the hope of preventing certain uncomfortable or distressing conditions, poor eating habits such as consumption of fast food and stressful lifestyles are not conducive to regular bowel movements, helping to support the ongoing solid demand for laxatives.

Further competition from other consumer health products

Another form of competition to digestive remedies comes from the increasing popularity for taking probiotic supplements within vitamins and dietary supplements, as it continued to record a strong performance. Leading brands of probiotic supplements such as Probi, Lactiplus and Bifiform also offer consumers a way of taking preventative measures to avoid certain digestive problems but in a convenient tablet form.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Meda retains leadership of fragmented category but loses share in laxatives

Meda AB retained its leadership of a fragmented competitive landscape in 2019, due to its offer of leading brand Novalucol in the largest category of indigestion and heartburn remedies. While Novalucol continued to perform well, its laxatives brand Laktulos Meda lost share and value sales due to strong competition, leading to some loss of share for Meda overall.

Strong performances within laxatives led by Inolaxol

With laxatives recording such a strong performance in 2019, most brands within the category performed well apart from Laktulos Meda and several smaller brands such as Movicol and Vi-Siblin. Inolaxol from BGP Products AB strengthened its leadership in 2019, followed by McNeil’s Microlax, which is sold in smaller packaging and Ferring Läkemedel’s Klyx, which also gained further ground.

Additional value offered by Resorb due to rehydration properties leads to further share gain

The consolidated category of diarrhoeal remedies also witnessed some interesting movement amongst established brands in 2019. While well-known global brands of diarrhoeal remedies such as Imodium are taken for their ability to rapidly reduce the embarrassing and uncomfortable symptoms linked to these condition, other brands benefit from offering additional value.

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