South Africa results: Adcock CHC sales power forward in H2

South Africa’s No.1 CHC marketer, Adcock Ingram, said that its OTC division “recovered in amazing fashion” in H2 2021, driven by “increased demand for cough, cold & flu products”. The company’s unaudited results showed that overall turnover rose by 16% to R4.3bn (US$282mn) in the six months ended 31st December 2021, driven by volume growth of 9% and a mix benefit of 6% from new products, increased marketing activity on behalf of multinational partners and brand innovation.

• OTC turnover grew by 26.4% to R993.9mn (US$65mn), arising from the relaxation in Covid-19 restrictions, which resulted in improved demand across the cough & cold portfolio vs the difficult comparative period. Citro-Soda, Allergex and Corenza-C all posted double-digit ex-factory growth

• Consumer was up 32.7% to R795mn (US$52mn) supported by the inclusion of Epi-max (+15.3%) from 1st January 2021, when it was transferred from the Prescription division. On a like-for-like basis, sales improved 13.6% with key brands posting healthy growth, most notably painkiller Panado, driven by a marketing campaign linked to Covid vaccinations

^{Source: Adcock Ingram}

Not all was rosy in the South African market, however. Following the disposal of its Animal Health and Respiratory Health Africa businesses, Ascendis Health’s remaining operations – Medical Devices, Pharma and Consumer Brands – reported an 18% decline in revenue to R1bn (US$65mn) in the six months to end-December 2021. Consumer Brands – R340mn / US$22mn, up by 1% – encountered headwinds in contract manufacturing plus the closing of and slower-than-expected re-opening of beauty salons. Port strikes and global supply chain challenges also impacted strategic procurement business Chempure. 

Following completion of a Recapitalisation Plan, which shareholders voted for in 2021, the Board will focus on rebuilding the company through a sustainable growth strategy. This includes optimising the Consumer Brands business, one of the largest VMS suppliers in S Africa, which presents a “compelling base for the group’s growth prospects”. The portfolio comprises seven key brands including Solal, Vitaforce, Menacal, Bettaway and Junglevite. Another pillar for growth is expansion via acquisitions. The Board is exploring opportunities to purchase “scalable, earnings-enhancing businesses in the broader consumer products sector”.

If you are looking to fill a gap in your business, Nicholas Hall’s executive recruitment service CHC TalentSelect may be able to help. With over 40 years’ experience in connecting people in the consumer healthcare industry, please get in touch with maricar.montero@NicholasHall.com to start your search.

Emerging Markets drive OTC growth in 2018

Emerging Markets constitute one of the 10 Infinity Zones for future CHC growth that we highlighted in our recent blog previewing Nicholas Hall’s upcoming New Paradigms report. Recent figures from the IMF’s World Economic Outlook forecast that developing economies will continue to outpace advanced economies and, according to the latest data from DB6, Rest of World (Middle East & Africa + Kazakhstan) and Latin America (including Puerto Rico) growth – 7.2% and 9.5% respectively – fast outpaced that of the the global OTC market (+4.0%) in 2018.

Middle East & Africa and Latin America still account for a relatively small share of global OTC sales – 7% and 5% respectively – but both are rising in power every year. Brazil (+10.1%) is the No.9 OTC market globally, while Mexico (+6.9%) ranks 16th globally in terms of OTC market size. As for the Middle East & Africa, there are now three countries clustered close together in the global OTC rankings – South Africa (+8.7%), Turkey (+15.8%) and Saudi Arabia (+6.7%) – claiming the 19th, 20th and 21st positions.

As well as double-digit growth in Turkey, there were also strong OTC performances from Algeria (+8.6%), Egypt (+15.2%), Nigeria (+7.9%) and UAE (+7.8%) in 2018. High consumer demand for preventive medicines is a key driver of CCA and VMS growth in key markets such as Egypt. According to a DSM survey of almost 7,000 people in EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa), some of the top health concerns for the young include immunity and resistance to disease and colds.

Multinationals have already established a strong foothold across the Middle East & Africa, but in some countries like Egypt and Iran local marketers still remain dominant. GSK, Sanofi and Bayer are the Top 3 OTC marketers in the region, followed by South Africa’s No.1 OTC marketer Adcock Ingram and RB. GSK’s OTC portfolio is highly focused on analgesics, especially Panadol, while Sanofi and Bayer have extensive VMS portfolios across the region.

Available on tablet, smartphone and desktop, OTC DASHBOARD covers 63 markets across the world, allowing you a bird’s eye view of the CHC market! We’ve now published our latest Q4 update, giving you the most up-to-date trend reports on Middle East & Africa markets such as South Africa, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Contact hannah.burke@nicholashall.com to find out how you can benefit from OTC DASHBOARD by setting up a free trial today!

Q1 2018: Focus on Middle East & Africa

Our blog this week takes a closer look at some of the trends & developments that emerged from the Q1 2018 OTC update on the Middle East & Africa. With growth of 6.7% in the year to end-March 2018, the region now generates nearly US$9.0bn in sales (a 6.5% share of the global OTC market) and outperformed all regions except Latin America.

Here are 4 key learnings from the latest Q1 update:

1. South Africa’s OTC market broke through the US$1bn barrier in Q1. Now established as a Top 20 OTC market globally, South Africa generates sales of just over US$1.0bn following 8.6% growth in the MAT Q1 2018 period. OTC sales are forecast to total US$1.8bn by 2027, powered by demographic change (rising middle-class of consumers) and growing investment. Indian companies are showing strong interest, with Cipla now the No.7 OTC marketer in South Africa, while Dr Reddy’s and Lupin have announced plans to expand operations in the country.
2. Turkey remains the powerhouse of regional OTC growth. Up 14% in the MAT Q1 2018 period, Turkey is fundamental to the rapid OTC progress of the region. Compared to South Africa, multinationals have a more prominent share of Turkey’s OTC market, with Abdi Ibrahim the only local company in the Top 5 – Bayer, Sanofi, GSK and RB are all Top 5 OTC marketers enjoying double-digit growth. The prospect of an official OTC classification in Turkey is encouraging MNCs to invest for future growth.  
3. Scope for VMS development in Middle East & Africa. One noticeable fact about OTC sales in the region is how heavily reliant the market is on the analgesics and CCA categories. The same is true for the No.1 OTC marketer GSK,  which generates almost 80% of its portfolio turnover in the region from analgesics and CCA. Whereas VMS takes a 30.2% share of the global OTC market, it takes just a 26% share of the Middle East & Africa market, highlighting the need for more VMS product development and investment in education about lifestyle & wellness.
4. Scope for Lifestyle OTCs development too. Compared to a global share of nearly 10% for Lifestyle OTCs, the category only takes an 8.6% share of Middle East & Africa’s OTC market. Eye care, sedatives & sleep aids and systemic cardiovasculars (low-dose aspirin) currently dominate in the region, while smoking control and EHC only have a small share compared to the global average. As the regulatory landscape evolves and becomes more favourable to OTC, we would expect to see more products making the transition from Rx to OTC status in the region.

Join us in Dubai on 5th November for our CHC Training Academy Workshop, which will empower you and your team with the tools, tips and techniques you need to maximise your potential, with the ultimate goal of achieving sustainable growth for your Consumer Healthcare business.

Asia OTC investment in Middle East & Africa

In last week’s blog, we looked at rising Chinese investment in Africa, specifically in the area of pharmaceuticals, and this week our focus is on Indian & SE Asian OTC marketers expanding their operations across the Middle East & Africa. Here we summarise some of the key developments that form this growing trend over the past 6-9 months.

In July 2017, it was reported that a number of Indian pharma companies, including Dr Reddy’s and Lupin, were planing to expand operations in Africa. While Lupin is focused on opportunities in South Africa, following the establishment of a new regulatory authority (SAPHRA) in the country in mid-2017, Dr Reddy’s is targeting an expanded presence in French-speaking countries in Africa, which are markets where Indian generic companies have traditionally been underrepresented.

OTC development by Indian marketers in Africa will not be limited to generics, however. In summer 2017, Emami announced that it is evaluating setting up manufacturing units in international markets to meet growing demand for its brands. The marketer also revealed that it is expanding into Nigeria and Ghana via product launches.

More recently, in January 2018, Strides Arcolab agreed – via its wholly-owned subsidiary Strides Shasun – to acquire a 55% stake in South African-based Trinity Pharma for R55mn (US$4.5mn). Strides Shasun MD, Shashank Sinha, said: “This … provides further impetus to our ‘In Africa for Africa’ strategy as it fast tracks Strides’ presence in the lucrative and high entry barrier market of South Africa. With this acquisition, we are now present in East, West and South Africa, covering all the key markets in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Strides Arcolab’s wide presence in Africa

As for Southeast Asian marketers, Indonesian OTC company Dexa Medica launched a brand called Stimuno in Nigeria in November 2017. Formulated with Phyllanthus niruri extract 50mg, Stimuno is a herbal & natural immune stimulant available in packs of 10 capsules. Dexa Medica is already one of Nigeria’s Top 5 OTC marketers, thanks to the success of its systemic analgesic brand Boska, and the company decided to leverage this brand equity by launching Stimuno at an event in Lagos called Pain-Free Day. Boska Brand Executive, Tunde Ojedokun, said that Stimuno is recommended for everyone, both healthy and unhealthy, for the total maintenance of the body system.

In February 2018, Indonesian drugmaker Kalbe Farma announced it is eyeing expansion across the Middle East, as well as Sri Lanka. Following a positive response to test-marketing of its packaged coconut water in the Middle East, Kalbe is now considering launching a range of nutritional products across the region. With local sales still sluggish, Kalbe’s new President Director Vidjongtius is focusing on new markets to broaden the company’s reach beyond Southeast Asia. 

OTC DASHBOARD remains your best port of call for the latest consumer healthcare trends in the Middle East & Africa. In the coming months, we will be updating our reports on 11 countries across the region, including Nigeria and South Africa. 

Chinese investment in Africa

One business book from my Christmas list that I’ve just finished reading is The Next Factory of the World: How Chinese Investment Is Reshaping Africa, by McKinsey consultant Irene Yuan Sun. This book highlights in great detail a trend that is noticeable across several industries, including pharmaceuticals – fast-growing investment in Africa by Asia-Pacific marketers. China is leading the way, especially in terms of expanding Africa’s manufacturing base, but there is a wider trend (encompassing OTCs) of companies across Asia-Pacific looking for growth opportunities in Africa.

Irene Yuan Sun’s book highlights two important economic fundamentals:

1) Over the past quarter century, China has gone from generating 2% of global GDP output to 25%
2) Over the next decade, 8 out of the 10 fastest-growing economies are projected to be on the African continent

The author makes the case that, from the start of the Industrial Revolution in Britain in the 18th century, economic prosperity has always followed where new factories are built. Citing the theory of the flying geese paradigm (see video below), the book examines how manufacturing shifts across countries and continents, as labour costs rise and competitiveness falls. Today, it is China that has reached this inflection point and it is Chinese entrepreneurs that are driving business investment in Africa.

Click here for the video

Focusing on four countries (Nigeria, Lesotho, Kenya and Ethiopia), the book is structured in two main parts: the first about the reality of these factories being built, and the second about the economic, political and social possibilities. The author points to the irony that, despite high demand across the continent for certain drugs, notably antiretrovirals, Africa’s pharmaceutical firms are small and in some cases on the verge of collapse.

In Ethiopia (population: 100mn), there are just 9 pharmaceutical manufacturers, while Germany (population: 81mn) has nearly a 1,000 pharma manufacturers. With the exception of South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, most African countries have no more than a handful of manufacturers. Kenya is the standard bearer in East Africa (40 factories, but generally of low quality), while Nigeria has about 40 too, the leading number in West Africa, but again few meet GMP standards.

There are reasons to be positive, however. South Africa, Kenya (national plan to encourage domestic production) and Ethiopia (similar plan) are all taking steps to revive pharma manufacturing in their countries. A few years ago, GSK showed showed interest in building a local manufacturing plant in Ethiopia, but after two years of deliberation the company decided not to go ahead. This is leaving a space that Chinese pharma companies appear more willing to fill. For example, in 2016 Humanwell decided to invest US$80mn in a manufacturing facility near Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.

Having seen rapid economic transformation in their own country with their own eyes, Chinese entrepreneurs are perhaps better placed to recognise the potential for similar change in Africa.

Next week on the blog, we’ll take a closer look at how several Asia-Pacific OTC marketers are looking to expand their operations across the African continent.

OTC DASHBOARD remains your best port of call for the latest consumer healthcare trends in the Middle East & Africa. In the coming months, we will be updating our reports on 11 countries across the region, including Nigeria and South Africa. 

MAT Q3 2017: Trends to look out for in 2018

Intense work is underway to complete the Q3 2017 update early next week, which will provide OTC DASHBOARD subscribers with the latest trend info and analysis on the performance of the global OTC market. In the meantime, taking a closer look at the latest news and data does reveal a few trends that are likely to characterise the OTC space in 2018, not least:

– The growing power of the Emerging Markets

– A coming shake-up of the global Top 10 OTC marketers

As this week’s infographic demonstrates, Turkey was one of the leading contributors to OTC growth in the MAT Q3 2017 period. Over recent years, both Turkey and South Africa have emerged as global Top 20 OTC markets, powered by high growth (though the trend in South Africa did show signs of slowing in Q3 2017). In No.21 spot, Algeria looks poised to enter the Top 20 in the very near future, thanks to continued high growth (+10% MAT Q3 2017). To keep up with the latest trends in the Middle East & Africa, OTC DASHBOARD remains your best port of call.

Top 3 Middle East & Africa markets, according to MAT Q2 2017 data

As for the leading OTC marketers, the big news in 2017 was Pfizer’s October announcement that it would be starting a bidding war for its consumer healthcare division, with RB, J&J and GSK all widely cited as possible suitors. However, there were at least two other major developments in 2017 that could cause a shake-up of the global Top 10 in the coming years – in October 2017, Novartis announced that plans to spin off its Alcon eye care business, following a strategic review, would be delayed until H1 2019 at the earliest, while in the same month the FT reported that Merck KGaA was pressing ahead with the sale of its consumer healthcare unit.

Nestle has been cited as a potential suitor for Merck KGaA’s OTC business and will be one of the companies to watch next year. Last week, Nestle agreed to acquire Canadian-based Atrium Innovations from investors led by Permira Funds for US$2.3bn cash. Atrium will become part of Nestle Health Science upon closing, which is expected in Q1 2018. Atrium’s largest brands are Florida-based Garden of Life, which manufactures certified organic, non-GMO supplements sold in health food stores and online in the US, and the Pure Encapsulations line of hypoallergenic, research-based dietary supplements sold in the US via healthcare practitioners, online and in pharmacies in several European markets. The portfolio also includes specialty brands such as Wobenzym, an oral enzyme combination containing proteolytic enzymes + bioflavonoid for osteoarthritis pain. 

If Nestle were to also acquire the Merck KGaA OTC business next year, and continue on its path of strong M&A growth, it could soon break into the global OTC Top 10. In addition, Merck KGaA would not only be a good fit with Nestle’s strategy of expanding in the field of high-quality vitamins, minerals & supplements, but would also give the company a strong foothold in the Emerging Markets, where Merck KGaA currently generates around half of its global Consumer turnover.

OTCs In Action: Making Sunscreen Fun

This month, OTCs are in Action in South Africa, where ad agency FCB Cape Town made sun safety fun with a giant inflatable Nivea Sunslide that dispensed sunscreen. Equipped with goggles for protecting their eyes from the lotion, kids – and some adults – had a great time slipping on their sunscreen during the event.

FCB thought up the SunSlide campaign after learning that South Africa has the world’s highest rate of skin cancer, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. The massive water slide is equipped with hundreds of spray-jet portals and filled up with 50 litres (roughly 13 gallons) of SPF 50+ waterproof sunscreen to ensure all participants get equal coverage.

 

Last year, FCB Brazil was lauded for the Nivea doll campaign, which gave Brazilian children hands-on experience with sun-sensitive dolls that would turn lobster red if Nivea sunscreen was not applied in time.

Sunscreen ingredients are classified differently around the world – cosmetics in many countries, drugs in the US – but their efficacy in disease prevention is undisputed. Of course, that’s only if people use them – kudos to FCB for brilliant consumer behaviour tweaks!