Alli granted final marketing approval in Japan

Following the recommendation of orlistat for direct-to-OTC approval in Japan, anti-obesity drug Alli has been granted final marketing approval by the Ministry of Health, Labour & Welfare. Taisho, which gained the rights to develop and market orlistat in Japan from GSK in 2009, is yet to announce the product’s release date.

Victoria Blake, head of Competitive Intelligence & Market Analysis (CIMA), writes: The World Health Organisation reports that worldwide obesity has almost tripled since 1975 – in 2016, almost 2bn adults were overweight. However, a report in 2020 found that across 7 major markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan and USA), Japan had the lowest total prevalence of obesity at 4%. While orlistat is a welcome innovation to the self-care market as a scientifically-proven solution to weight loss, it is notable that the target audience appears to be significantly smaller than in some Western markets (prevalence was reported at 40% for the USA). Nevertheless, serious government concerns regarding the economic healthcare impact of obesity in Japan’s older population led to the Metabo Law in 2008, which attempts to address obesity concerns through regular monitoring of waist size in those aged 40-74 years. Alli was switched in the USA in 2007 and in the EU in 2009 (the first drug to go through the EU Centralised procedure). Lack of repeat purchases was a key factor behind limited growth for the brand, consumers prone to expecting “miracle cures” and rapid results when it comes to weight loss vs faith in longer-term, proven regimen. We watch with interest to see how Taisho’s strategy unfolds for orlistat in this new market.

Nicholas Hall Writes: I wanted to lead with this story this week, not because Alli is a wonder brand – sadly, it failed in the consumer market – but because of the huge unmet demand for effective weight loss products, which is rightly pointed out by my colleague Victoria Blake. In fact, there is no other sector in consumer health where demand is so high and delivery so poor. In all other sectors we have great products and the job is communicating their benefits to consumers. This is the exact reverse, where demand is almost unlimited among an increasingly overweight population, but where we just don’t have safe and effective products in consumer health or indeed in the prescription market. So no one who reads this column will be surprised that weight loss and obesity is to be a major topic covered in my signature report, New Paradigms 2023 – the Future Resumed. 

One of the problems that Alli faced was honesty. The brand was marketed in terms of delivering major benefits, but those benefits could only be achieved if consumers modified their lifestyle as well. This they were largely unwilling to do, and there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence that consumers taking a weight loss product feel empowered to consume more of their favourite foods and drinks, even though contrary to the necessary changes that enable it to be effective. And, of course, weight loss brands stress simplicity, not the complex set of lifestyle changes necessary to deliver benefits.

We are delighted to announce that Nicholas will explore “The Future Resumed” in the upcoming 2023 edition of his signature New Paradigms report! Offering insights into unmet consumer needs, demographic drivers, emerging markets and more, this report will provide an essential strategic review of key factors impacting the CHC industry. To pre-order your copy at a discounted rate, or for more information, please contact melissa.lee@NicholasHall.com.

Mental health drive needed in France

Consumer attitudes related to mental health and emotional wellbeing are expected to continue to drive the need for innovation to improve mood and reduce stress, according to ingredients and supplement manufacturer Nexira Health. An Innova Market Insights report cited by the company reveals that 53% of global consumers have taken action to improve their physical wellbeing, while 44% have acted to improve their mental and emotional wellbeing.

Nexira also noted that supplement launches over the past five years have increased by 26%; after immune health, the second most launched claim is brain-mood health (+25%). To emphasise wellbeing and mood health in 2023, Nexira is highlighting Serenzo, a supplement ingredient based on sweet orange essential oil formulated with acacia gum designed specifically for mental and emotional wellbeing. In a 12-week consumer study, Serenzo supplementation reduced subjective feelings of stress by 50%, significantly improved mental load and appeared to boost mood and emotional wellbeing. 

^{Nexira’s new targeted branding for its VMS range}

Nicholas Hall Writes: Isn’t it strange how the pandemic has changed public perception of consumer healthcare? Perhaps it was to be expected that consumers would move away from the previously unstoppable prevention trend and spend more of their disposable income on treatments with tangible benefits. But who could have predicted that in the search for immunity, consumers would be more attracted to general products like vitamin C and multivitamins than more specific brands. The relative failure of antiviral products like ColdZyme is a real mystery to me. If these brands cannot succeed during the worst pandemic the world has experienced in the hundred years since the Spanish flu, when can they? On the other hand, consumers have reached out directly to OTCs and supplements that improve the quality of sleep and reduce stress. This will put a massive premium on the price that potential acquirers will have to pay for mega-successful brands like Prevagen and Natrol.

With these growing lifestyle niches, the market seems even more wide open to new entrants. Nestlé Health Science and Unilever have made big inroads into the VMS sector, with particular success in e-Commerce, which accounts for 40-50% of their health & wellbeing businesses. It seems that Big Tobacco is also circling and may look to dig deeper in attractive adjacent categories such as CBD; and I am fascinated by the news story that the packaged fruits marketer, Dole, is keen to reposition itself after 170 years as primarily a purpose-led health & wellness company.

Senior health a priority for Megalabs

Megalabs has secured a US$70mn, 10-year loan from IDB Invest for expansion in eight regional markets including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The company, which will particularly prioritise expanding production of essential medicines for the elderly, plans to launch 140 products by 2026. 

Comment from CHC Insight Latin America Editor, Jen Jones: As elsewhere, LatAm’s population is ageing rapidly and Megalabs highlighted UN figures showing that 145mn Latin Americans will fall into the 65+ years age bracket by 2030, equivalent to almost a fifth of the population. Among other regional marketers responding to this trend is Brazil’s Hypera Pharma, which indicated in 2022 that the senior demographic was key to its long-term, sustainable growth strategy.

According to the UN, the number of people aged 65+ for every 100 people aged 18-64 (known as the old-age dependency ratio) is set to grow from 13 in 2015 in Latin America & the Caribbean and Asia, to 20 in 2030. All other regions, with the exception of Africa, are showing a similar trend.

^{Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects}

Nicholas Hall Writes: Our lead story this week is part of a rush of stories that proves our industry is at last beginning to take demographic marketing seriously. After years of speculation about its consumer and commercial benefits, we seem to mean what we say: that the consumer is at the centre of our industry and identifying the needs of small and not-so-small cohorts is very important. The number of babies being born each year is declining, which has massive implications in terms of population balance. It also presents a huge opportunity as consumers, we are told, are prepared to spend a significant amount on the Little Emperors and Empresses. Except it’s an urban myth, and we just don’t see dynamic growth in the paediatric sector.

The same is true of products for the elderly, which everyone knows is the fastest-growing population group, and by no means the poorest people, but often the ones with the highest disposable income. And yet we see so few brands that meet the needs not of geriatrics but of the active elderly. Here is not the place to restate in detail that there is not one cohort of older consumers, but at least three main groups: Working Seniors, The Active Retired and The Inactive Retired (and often terminally ill). I’ve written previously about the medical needs and high consumption of healthcare products among these groups, and about the mixed messages of extending the number of years lived but not the quality of life. This will be an important component of our New Paradigms 2023 report, which is subtitled “The Future Resumed”, and which will contribute to our Strategic Narrative for 2023. We will be discussing this in more detail at the London Conference in April, but it’s no secret that – having accurately predicted the likely growth rate in 2022, which was amazingly upbeat – our future forecasts will be more moderate.

Nicholas will explore key trends impacting the CHC landscape in the upcoming new edition of his signature New Paradigms report. Providing an essential strategic review of the industry, for more information when it becomes available, please contact melissa.lee@NicholasHall.com.

KEY FOOD, DRINK & SUPPLEMENT TRENDS FOR 2023

Dutch-based FrieslandCampina Ingredients has detailed five key trends that will drive the evolution of food, drink & supplement industries in 2023:

• Building trust for planet-first nutrition The health of the planet looks set to continue as a top priority for consumers but 38% do not trust companies’ honesty about their environmental impact. However, 83% are more likely to trust 3rd-party verified sustainability claims 

• Resilience & the power of positive nutrition As the world adjusts to post-Covid life and the cost-of-living crisis, stressed consumers are seeking a sense of balance to build resilience. Many are focusing on beneficial foods, drinks & supplements, rather than removing less nutritious foods, so fortified products that satisfy body & mind will be high on the agenda

• Alternative proteins find their own feet As plant-based becomes more mainstream, consumers increasingly expect high-quality, highly nutritional products that go beyond recreating animal-based applications. Emerging technologies such as precision fermentation are opening up new opportunities for brands, but mastering taste and texture remains paramount

• Going for gut health With rising awareness of the gut microbiome’s role in supporting improved mental health, stress and sleep, brands can attract consumer attention by creating accessible self-care moments. Thanks to ingredient innovations, unique and trending formats can be created, such as teas, shots and fortified gummies using ingredients such as prebiotics

• The era of active ageing The global population is now 8bn, including a growing number of elderly individuals. The emphasis is shifting from “healthy” to “active” ageing, with older adults focused on getting the most out of life. This offers opportunities for brands to create solutions with products that support long-term strength, balance & mobility

^{Source: FrieslandCampina Ingredients 2023}

Nicholas Hall Writes: With inflation by some accounts expected to halve this year, that could mean more disposable income available for important commodities like OTCs, which may ease some of the pressure we have forecast in recent weeks. Of course, our industry will experience very strong headwinds, so there is no easy path to success, and it seems to me that the low-hanging fruit has long since been blown off the trees. But perhaps we can be a scintilla more optimistic, especially as the initial sales trends from 2023 are positive, although I continue to believe that the market will weaken as the year progresses. 

As I’ve said many times, macro and micro factors affect the generality of the market, but individual countries, categories and brands will continue to do well if marketers adopt innovative new strategies that reflect the latest consumer trends. I was particularly interested in FrieslandCampina’s findings about sustainability, which confirms that this will be a significant factor in the forward movement of consumer health in the next few years. Previously we had looked upon sustainability as inevitable, but not a claimable advantage. Now I’m beginning to think that, handled correctly, it could be a huge benefit for a company that knows which buttons to press.

Take a look at the latest CHC ingredient trends with the 2023 edition of Innovation in CHC report, coming soon! Drawn from CHC New Products Tracker, this report showcases 100 key innovations from 2022, reviewing major delivery format and ingredient trends and reviews innovation by region and country. For more information, or to purchase your copy, please contact melissa.lee@NicholasHall.com.

CRN HIGHLIGHTS SAVINGS FROM SUPPLEMENTS USE

The CRN Foundation’s Supplement to Savings report identified up to US$17.7bn in annual net savings between 2022-30 from the use of specific dietary supplements by at-risk target populations most susceptible to coronary artery disease (CAD). Throughout February, American Heart Month, CRN will amplify the potential of dietary supplements to reduce the health impacts and healthcare costs of CAD. The chapters on CAD focus on four supplement regimens: 

• Average annual cost savings from the widespread daily use of preventative amounts of omega-3 fatty acids EPA+DHA could be US$4.47bn 
• Regular use of magnesium by specific at-risk populations amounts to average healthcare cost savings of US$2.32bn per year 
• Regular use of vitamin K2 by specific populations could generate estimated annual cost savings of US$9.48bn 
• The average cost savings from increased utilisation of soluble fibre for heart-health effects is US$1.47bn per year 

^{Source: CRN Foundation}

Nicholas Hall Writes: We talk a lot about the ability of the CHC industry to reduce the overall cost of public health as well as improving access, but it’s always good to see hard figures with which we can agree or disagree. Even if these estimates are too high – which I’m not saying is the case – a saving of up to US$18bn from coronary artery disease alone, and an even more important saving of lives, are to be greatly desired. To quote Steve Mister, the CRN’s President & CEO: “Today, most of our healthcare resources are spent after people are already afflicted with an ailment. We hope the broader medical community will take notice and evaluate how supplements can enhance nutrition and improve the overall health of their patients.”

I like Steve Mister’s terrier-like defence of dietary supplements, which we witnessed a second time this week when he (rightly) criticised the FDA for its unwillingness to take responsibility for regulating CBD. It is one thing to say that existing regulations cannot provide a pathway for CBD, although one wonders why it took four years to reach this conclusion, but where then is the pathway? Unless the FDA takes hold of this emerging category, it will continue to display all the characteristics of the Wild West, when we are seeking to avoid a “Gunflight at the CBD Corral”. And until firm but fair regulations are put in place, we are unlikely to attract major consumer players to this sector.

Monitor the latest launches across VMS with our dedicated innovation benchmarking tool, CHC New Products Tracker, which features almost 40,000 launches, all graded with a star rating. Subcategories such as CBD, eye health, omega-3 and various herbal supplements are tracked, plus many others. To find out more, or to set up a demo, please contact david.redford@NicholasHall.com.

H&B REPORT: WOMEN’S HEALTH A TOP WELLNESS TREND IN 2023

According to Holland & Barrett’s (LetterOne) Wellness Trends Report 2023, areas of particular interest to consumers this year will include:

• Women’s wellness – a big business in 2022 – will ramp up even further, with personalised solutions and FemTech founders continuing to help lead the revolution on breaking down taboos around menopause, menstrual health, fertility and more

• Wellness tech gets personal. From patches tracking dietary biomarkers to carbon levels in the breath determining metabolic function, the future is all about using health data for optimum health. Health tech innovation is also becoming more focused on key target groups, such as those suffering from, or at risk of, chronic conditions

• Sleep As well as vitamin D and magnesium, newly-trending ingredients include glycine, spearmint and plant polyphenols, EGCG and l-theanine. Meanwhile, consumers are keeping orthosomnia — the worry about getting enough sleep — at bay with remedies containing lavender, chamomile and CBD. There will also be an increase in smart tech to synchronise circadian routines

• Ayurveda Ayurvedic remedies such as ashwagandha and curcumin, combined with scientific scrutiny, are experiencing a rise in popularity 

• Beauty from within Collagen’s status as a skin-smoothing beauty superhero is here to stay, but people are also starting to understand the broader benefits, and younger customers are using type 2 collagen supplements to keep their joints in optimal health

^{To read the full report, click here.} 

Nicholas Hall Writes: Last Wednesday we held the NHC Start of the Year Meeting at our Southend-on-Sea HQ. What a pleasure after three years to have 35 team members in the room and most of the rest of our global team dialing-in. One of our main objectives was to brainstorm a new Strategic Narrative for the CHC industry, which will drive our Global Trends roadshow after the new DB6 data is published in early April. And, of course, the Strategic Narrative will be at the heart of New Paradigms for CHC 2023, which we have just scoped and which will be published in July. As usual I will write almost every word of this completely revised 4th edition, supported by what I truly believe to be the biggest and best market analysis and creative solutions team in the CHC industry – 54 out of our total headcount of 65 plus numerous network partners, associates and freelancers.

And many of the overarching issues to be discussed in New Paradigms are illustrated in the latest edition of CHC.Newsflash: women’s health, MedTech and FemTech, lifestyle products, natural remedies, sustainability and China (reviewed at a time when Dr Nouriel Roubini warns us in his latest book, Megathreats, of the dangers of deglobalisation). And even before we publish the new report, I hope to meet as many of you as possible at our April conference in London, when we will give you a sneak peek of the new Strategic Narrative.

I will be joined on stage in London by speakers from PAGB, Haleon and Perrigo, plus other industry experts, for our 33rd European CHC Conference 19-21 April. Exploring The Future Resumed, you can review the full agenda or explore group booking options by contacting elizabeth.bernos@NicholasHall.com.

Stark 2023 growth warning from IMF head

The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund has cautioned that 2023 is going to be a “tough year”, with one-third of the world economy expected to be in recession. The three big economies, USA, EU and China, are slowing simultaneously, translating to negative trends globally. Kristalina Georgieva added in an interview with the CBS News programme Face the Nation that, while USA is most resilient and may avoid recession, the strong labour market is a “mixed blessing” as interest rates could remain tight to lower inflation.

Meanwhile, half of the EU – severely hit by the war in Ukraine – will be in recession this year and China, which in 2022 slowed dramatically because of its zero Covid policy, will slow down further (+4.4% growth in 2023 projected) as the relaxation of restrictions leads to soaring coronavirus cases. Overall, IMF forecasts that Advanced Economies will grow by 1.1% in 2023, while Emerging Market and Developing Economies will rise by 3.7%, led by India (+6.1%) but dragged down by Russia (-2.3%).

When asked what leaves her hopeful, Georgieva said: “I know when we work together, we can overcome the most dramatic challenges. In 2020, the world came together in the face of tremendous threat and was able to overcome this threat. In 2023, we have to do the same.” 

Nicholas Hall Writes: For most of 2022 I wrote in CHC.Newsflash about a market performing surprisingly well, but there was an implicit warning that the party would come to an end one day. Kristalina Georgieva, head of the IMF, has issued a stark warning of tough times ahead economically, but that is light reading compared with Nouriel Roubini’s new book, “Megathreats”, which highlights the 10 trends that imperil our future. Known by some as Dr Doom, Roubini prefers to be known as Dr Realistic, but in my estimation he is Dr Right as he called out many past mistakes with great foresight, including the debt binge that has made the global economy today almost unmanageable.

So how will these megathreats affect Consumer Health? In one sense, we are privileged as healthcare is a must-have category, and self-care will fill part of the vacuum left by the inability of healthcare providers to meet the needs of a growing and demographically-unbalanced population, about which Dr Roubini also writes persuasively. But consumers can only spend the money in their pockets, regardless of whether it is earned or borrowed, which is why I am so concerned about the future of CHC brands and why generics and private labels are now seen as the new growth segment.

I’m also concerned about the viability of retailers and even e-Commerce platforms, as the economic crisis will lower customer footfall and push up costs including the cost of borrowing, forcing thousands of outlets to close. We are already seeing that as a sub-plot of today’s global medicine shortages. Partly this is a story of unpredictable demand caused by the afterwave of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it also seems to me that the supply chain has become very fragile as companies look for ways to cut costs by reducing inventory to breaking point. So our 2023 mission here at the Nicholas Hall Group is to reassess the Strategic Narrative for Consumer Health and offer advice to clients and the industry at large on how to survive mega- and microthreats.

We are pleased to announce that experts from Haleon, Perrigo and PAGB, plus our sponsors Pharmalinea will take the stage alongside Nicholas at our 33rd European CHC Conference! See the all-new agenda here. Taking place in London on 19-21 April 2023, save with the early bird booking discount when you book your place before 19 January! For more information, or for group booking discounts and sponsorship opportunities, please contact elizabeth.bernos@NicholasHall.com.

Global social media ad revenues stall

The winter update of the MAGNA (IPG Media Brands) Global Ad Forecast predicts that media owners’ advertising revenues will reach US$833bn in 2023, up 5% vs 2022. Despite challenging economic conditions, traditional media companies (TV, audio, publishing, out-of-home) saw ad revenues grow by 2.5% this year, while digital media companies grew by 9%. This is the narrowest growth gap ever observed by MAGNA, signalling that editorial media brands remain attractive and relevant as they now combine brand safety with cross-platform reach.

Multiple factors, including plateauing reach & usage and targeting limitations (as a result of Apple’s post-iOS 14 environment), combined to cause social media advertising to stall in 2022: global sales grew by just 4.4% to US$149bn, well down on the growth rates of 20-35% observed in the previous three years. TikTok is the only social media owner to post advertising growth, while incumbent social networks suffered flat or declining ad sales, especially in Europe and North America. MAGNA expects social media advertising to accelerate only slightly in 2023 (+6.8%).

Vincent Létang, EVP, Global Market Research at MAGNA and author of the report, said: “Advertising spending slowed down in the second half of 2022 because of economic uncertainty and issues affecting digital advertising formats, but traditional editorial media managed to grow by +2.5%. The gap in growth rates with digital advertising growth (+8.9%) was the narrowest ever measured by MAGNA, suggesting that the long-term transition to a digital-centric marketing landscape has slowed down following the Covid acceleration.“

Nicholas Hall Writes: “What are the ideal channels of distribution and communication post-Covid, when consumers clearly are omnivorous and want the best of all possible worlds and flexibility in choosing brands and spending their hard-won cash in this global recession? It seems that there has never been a greater need for searching questions about the validity of brand strategies and marketing execution, which is needed both within companies and in media like CHC.Newsflash.“

For more information on the news service, or to set up a trial of CHC.Newsflash or CHC.NewDirections to kickstart your 2023, contact melissa.lee@NicholasHall.com.

Female-oriented A+P dominates Nicholas Hall’s APAC Awards

CHC Insight’s Senior Editor, Nicola Allan, summarises the Creative Marketing Award winners from last week’s Nicholas Hall’s APAC e-Conference:

• Winner: Kalbe Consumer Health’s Mixagrip in Indonesia

The growth-driving campaign for Indonesia’s No.1 OTC systemic cold & flu remedy was centred around the idea that work and family pressures, climate issues and the pandemic make the “sandwich generation” tired and susceptible to illness but they cannot afford to miss a day of work. This led to the #AntiSkipHari (“No Skip Days”) initiative, which began with TV ads for Mixagrip and was expanded – in collaboration with creative company Ideacultura – with a digital video that recognises the pressure of daily responsibilities, plus offline marketing including posters on commuter trains and murals created by local artists. Kalbe’s goals were to help consumers avoid having to take time off work through illness, dispel the belief that cough & cold remedies cause drowsiness and fight back in a competitive category where rival brands focus only on TV and digital marketing

• 2nd place: ZP Therapeutics campaign for Physiogel in the Philippines

In 2020, a year of reset and self-care owing to the onset of Covid-19, ZP Therapeutics revived Physiogel following a hiatus from the spotlight. A digital campaign shared the message that only Physiogel contains BioMimic Technology to strengthen sensitive skin and make it soft, which led to the concept of “Strength in Softness”, a celebration of the gentle strength that women possess. From this, the Physiogel sisterhood (SiS) emerged including Strong Skin Stories sessions on Facebook Live featuring influencers and skin care experts. In 2022, the campaign was expanded with the SiS Days Out programme, where women who donated empty skin care bottles to be recycled were given tickets to free Physiogel wellness & pampering events. These strategies led to consumer reach far exceeding expectations and an above-average brand engagement rate

• 3rd place: Sanofi’s Ostelin in Australia

Australia’s dominant vitamin D brand was supported by “Ostelin Project Strong”, a campaign based on the idea that “Strong isn’t what a woman does. It’s who we are”. Sanofi partnered with visual media company Getty Images to showcase hundreds of photos of women that show a broad interpretation of women’s strength with the aim of enticing the younger generation and encouraging them to think about bone health without disenchanting the core 55+ target audience. Ostelin Project Strong, which boosted brand sales and share, also partnered with the 100 Women charity to support its mission of empowering women in various aspects of life

Nicholas Hall Writes: The Awards were of a very high standard and since we added the 5-minute case studies from companies showcasing their campaigns, the number and quality of entries have increased every year. We shortlisted four entries for online voting by delegates, not including the Special Award winner, Bayer China’s Canesten. The three campaigns shown above were worthy winners, but I’m going to give a special shout-out to a non-winner, Sanofi Korea’s Dulcolax for “K-Poop Star”. The case study showed a 360° campaign that attempts to break the taboo of constipation. Sadly we weren’t shown Dulcolax’s Tik Tok digital ads, which are some of the best I’ve ever seen, and absolutely in line with K-Pop culture as a way of reaching a younger target audience. Turning K-Pop into K-Poop is just brilliant.

Put your campaigns in the spotlight when you enter for our CHC Marketing Awards, to be presented during Nicholas Hall’s 33rd European CHC Conference in London on 19-21 April. For more information on entry criteria, or to book your place at this conference and save with the early bird booking discount, please contact elizabeth.bernos@NicholasHall.com.

Humanity hits milestone of global population of 8bn

The “Day of 8bn”, officially marked on 15th November 2022, is a milestone moment for humanity, according to the UN Population Fund, and “a testament to scientific breakthroughs and improvements in nutrition, public health and sanitation”, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. However, it comes with worsening economic inequality and environmental damage. “Unless we bridge the yawning chasm between the global haves and have-nots, we are setting ourselves up for an 8bn-strong world filled with tensions and mistrust, crisis and conflict,” warned Guterres. Whether populations are growing or shrinking, every country must be equipped to provide good quality of life and lift up the most marginalised citizens. “We cannot rely on one-size-fits-all solutions in a world in which the median age is 41 in Europe, compared to 17 in sub-Saharan Africa,” noted UNFPA Chief, Natalia Kanem. “To succeed, all population policies must have reproductive rights at their core, invest in people and planet, and be based on solid data.” 

UN data indicates that the global fertility rate is now at 2.3 (down from 3.3 in 1990) and getting close to the “replacement rate” of 2.1, at which point the global population will stabilise (projected to be at some point between 2080 and 2100) and then decline. In the meantime, Africa is projected by the UN to drive half of the world’s population growth in the next 40 years, while India and Pakistan are projected to drive population growth in Asia.

^{Source: UN}

Nicholas Hall Writes: So, as of last Tuesday there are 8bn of us on this tiny planet, a mixture of the comparatively wealthy and those who struggle; the enlightened and those who suffer from dictators with a big stick and a stone age mentality; and those who want to be more healthy. Eleven years ago, there were 7bn of us, and some experts are taking comfort from the fact that it will take 15 years before we become 9bn. And apparently our population will peak at 10.4bn sometime in the 2080s, always assuming that Dr Strangelove in Moscow doesn’t push the red button.

Actually, the topic of better health is one of the few with which we are almost all agreed, but it is a decades-old story of more people chasing increasingly-scarcer resources. Despite the amazing breakthroughs in new ways of treating serious diseases, self-care still has the potential to deliver more benefits to more people than any other component of the global healthcare system. Self-care is more than just OTC, of course, and improved lifestyle has a massive role to play if we can encourage more exercise, better diet and a cleaner environment. But our pills in bottles, tablets in strips, creams in tubes have so much more to offer in terms of raising standards of public health – if we can only get the message across.

Explore the factors impacting CHC across Asia during our Asia-Pacific e-Conference, taking place online this week! The event will also include the presentation of our Regional CHC Creative Marketing Award. There is still time to confirm your participation – for more information, or to register, please contact elizabeth.bernos@NicholasHall.com without delay.