Medical cannabis products legal in UK

Three hot topics we focus on at OTC DASHBOARD, in our blogs and infographics, are OTC adjacencies, e-commerce and new technology. Medical cannabis falls within the sphere of OTC adjacencies, and here at Nicholas Hall & Company we believe that this category will progressively become part of the consumer healthcare market.

Recent legislative moves show that government attitudes to cannabis use are becoming more and more liberal. Just last week, the UK Home Secretary made the decision to allow the legal prescription of cannabis-derived medicinal products by specialist doctors. The UK’s regulatory agency, MHRA, is now working on a clear definition of what constitutes a cannabis-derived medicinal product.

The UK has also been one of several markets that have seen the launch of innovative cannabidiol (CBD) products, such as CannaQIX (Precision Healthcare / Creso). Launched in April 2018, CannaQIX is formulated with CBD organic hemp extract, as well as vitamins and minerals. Available as lozenges, the product is positioned as a cognitive booster that maintains mental and nervous function, reduces fatigue and releases energy. The product is also available in Switzerland and being rolled out across Europe.

Other key countries for CBD products include Germany, Israel, Australia and the USA, with 45 products in the latter market already listed in our OTC New Products Tracker archive, in a variety of innovative formats including pens, vaporisers and gummy bears.

Canada is another country becoming more liberal in its approach to cannabis. In June 2018, legislation permitting Canadians to consume cannabis for recreational purposes was finalised, the final step that will pave the way for official legalisation in October 2018. The regulatory package is 390 pages long and provides details about how cannabis may be grown, harvested, processed and sold.

Looking ahead, Europe and North America are likely to be at the forefront of market development. According to a report from Prohibition Partners, the European cannabis market will be worth €115.7bn (US$135bn) by 2028, with the majority of European states expected to pass legislation to legalise medical cannabis programmes and recreational cannabis in that time.

Nicholas Hall’s upcoming OTC.NewDirections Executive Conference will reflect rising interest in the fast-developing cannabis market worldwide with two presentations on this key topic, from Canada and Israel. Being held on 12 September in London, this one-day meeting will explore Where Innovation Meets Regulation. For details of the full agenda or to reserve your place contact lianne.hill@NicholasHall.com

MAT Q1 2018: 5 key trends & developments

Our latest Q1 2018 trend reports on the OTC market at global, regional and Top 20 level are now available on the OTC DASHBOARD website. Here we highlight some of the key trends & developments that have emerged in the latest data.

1. Growth draining out of allergy remedies: In the MAT Q1 2018 period, global growth of OTC allergy remedies slowed to just +0.2%. Compare this with a rate of +3.7% in the year-ago MAT Q1 2017 period, and +10.3% in the MAT Q1 2016 period. This gradual slowdown, caused primarily by a drop-off in Rx-to-OTC switch activity, has been one of several key factors in the continued low growth of the global OTC market (+4.1%) in Q1.
2. J&J edges ahead of Sanofi: The latest MAT Q1 2018 data indicates that J&J is now the No.3 OTC marketer globally, marginally ahead of Sanofi and just behind Bayer. Every one of the Top 5 OTC marketers grew at a rate below that of the global OTC market in the MAT Q1 2018 period, indicating the difficulty in finding new growth opportunities and the continued emphasis on M&A.
3. Has probiotics growth peaked? Though it remains high at +9.2% in the year to end-March 2018, the global growth of the probiotics category has slowed over the past year, when compared with a rate of +14.0% in the year-ago MAT Q1 2017 period, and +10.8% in the MAT Q1 2016 period. Innovation and expansion of the category into new countries and niches, such as diabetes, have fuelled its growth thus far, but we’ll be keeping a close eye over coming quarters to see if this trend is a temporary blip or the start of a long-term slowdown.
4. Where’s the growth potential? 1. Adjacencies: OTC marketers are increasingly looking to build new consumer healthcare adjacencies, either via switch – in the case of erectile dysfunction and Pfizer’s Viagra Connect – or new product innovation, in the case of medical cannabis. Though we don’t yet include sales of medical cannabis products in OTC DASHBOARD, we do track developments in this category closely in both our innovation database, OTC New Products Tracker, and regulatory newsletter, OTC.NewDirections.
5. Where’s the growth potential? 2. New territories: Coverage of the OTC market in the Middle East & Africa is one of the main benefits of being an OTC DASHBOARD subscriber, and looking at the latest Q1 data highlights the importance of this region to the relative success of GSK and RB. GSK performed better than the rest of the Top 5, with its CCA brand Otrivin moving up the Middle East & Africa rankings to the No.3 spot in Q1 after double-digit growth, while global No.6 RB (+4.4%) outperformed the global OTC rate thanks in part to the high MEA growth of Gaviscon and Strepsils.

Explore how we can innovate (and manage the impact of regulatory challenges) at our 1st OTC.NewDirections Executive Conference in London on 12th September 2018: Where Innovation meets Regulation. Nicholas Hall and Nina Stimson will be joined by speakers from Medical Brands, Angelini and Arqus Advisory among others to review, discuss and debate major issues impacting the competitive landscape in an industry in which the regulatory goalposts are continually moving. Sessions span New Product Opportunities, Regulatory Affairs (including the potential impact of Brexit across the EU), Medical Devices, Switch, Digital Marketing, New Distribution and e-Commerce. Don’t hesitate — book before 31 July to save with our early-bird discount! For more information on this pivotal meeting, please contact Lianne.Hill@nicholashall.com