The holy grail of consumer health innovation, Rx-to-OTC switches, are costly and hard to pull off. So, are they worth the effort? An analysis by IQVIA of desloratadine, which was switched in Germany 2020 by Novartis subsidiary, Hexal, shows that they are, with sales of OTC desloratadine products growing 112% between 2019 and 2020.
Rx-to-OTC switches are the holy grail of consumer healthcare market innovation and growth. But they are hard work. They require huge investment on the part of firms.
A complicated switch in the US, for example, can cost anywhere in the region of $30m to $50m