Tylenol-focused sales for COVID-19-related use dispersed

...sales of Panpyrin and Coldaewon increases

Sales of Tylenol drop 15% in 1H... the only one of the major household medicines for COVID-19 to fall

Sales surge for Coldaewon 232%·Brufen 195%·Champ168%·Panpyrin 62%

The stock shortage of major over-the-counter drugs used to relieve symptoms of COVID-19, such as general cold medicines and antipyretic analgesics, has been prolonged due to the resurgence of COVID-19.

 

In this prolonged shortage, the demand that had been concentrated on Tylenol is being dispersed to other drugs.

 

Tylenol was the only major household medicine for COVID-19 to see reduced sales in 1H this year.

 

The other major household medicines for COVID-19 have all enjoyed an increase in sales.

 

In particular, sales of Panpyrin, Coldaewon, Brufen, Champ, etc.

 

have shown marked growth.

 

◆1H sales of Tylenol series record KRW 38.5 billion…drop 15% in one year According to the market research institution IQVIA on the 9th, the combined sales of the Tylenol series in 1H this year were KRW 38.5 billion.

 

This is a 15% drop from the KRW 45.1 billion it had made in 1H last year.

 

In its product line, sales of Tylenol tab fell 16% from KRW 33.6 billion to KRW 28.1 billion, and Tylenol 8 Hour ER by 33% from KRW 10 billion to 6.7 billion.

 

Sales of Women’s Tylenol had also fallen slightly from KRW 500 million to 400 million.

 

However, sales of Tylenol Cold S had increased by over 3 times from KRW 1 billion to 3.3 billion.

 

Sales of Tylenol had steadily increased since the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis.

 

Its sales, which had been in the KRW 15.5 billion range in 1H 2020, rose to KRW 20.3 billion in 2020, then to KRW 45.1 billion in 2021, a near threefold increase in two years.

 

With the COVID-19 vaccinations that started in earnest in 1H last year, the number of people who wished to stock up on Tylenol to alleviate side effects of vaccinations such as fever and muscle pain had surged, resulting in an extreme shortage of the product.

 

However, its growth seems to have slowed this year.

 

This slower sales growth is attributed to the unstable supply of Tylenol and the consumers’ stronger tendency to purchase other medicines containing the same ingredient this year.

 

◆Sales of Coldaewon·Brufen rise threefold in one year …due to surge in demand and expanded production line Other major general cold medicine and antipyretic analgesic brands other than the Tylenol series enjoyed a rise in sales.

 

In particular, Panpyrin, Coldaewon, Brufen, and Champ had shown marked growth.

 

In the case of Dong-A Pharmaceutical’s general cold medicine Panpyrin series, its sales, which had been KRW 13.4 billion in 1H last year, had increased 62% to KRW 21.8 billion in one year.

 

Sales of Dong-A’s antipyretic analgesic Champ had also increased 168% from KRW 1.5 billion to KRW 4.1 billion in the same period.

 

Daewon Pharmaceutical’s general cold medicine Coldaewon series had made 3.3 times more sales from KRW 2.6 billion in 1H last year to KRW 8.6 billion this year.

 

Sales of Samil Pharmaceutical’s Brufen rose nearly 3 times in a year from KRW 1.2 billion in 1H last year to KRW 3.7 billion this year.

 

Such a rise in sales is interpreted to be the result of those pharmaceutical companies’ active engagement in expanding their production performance in preparation for the increase in demand.

 

Dong-A Pharmaceutical, Daewon Pharmaceutical, and Samil Pharmaceutical, among other companies, had actively increased their production capacity by expanding production facilities and increasing factory production utilization rates in response to the surge in demand for cold medicines and antipyretic analgesics in the aftermath of the resurgence of COVID-19 in February this year.

 

Samil Pharmaceutical greatly expanded its ibuprofen production line this year.

 

The production capacity of its ibuprofen syrup increased 2.5 times from 50,000 liters in 1H last year to 170,000 liters in 1H this year, and the production capacity of Brufen tab increased around 1.5 times from 15.37 million to 22.5 million during the same period.

 

Dong-A Pharmaceutical’s utilization rate of the Panpyrin production line had also increased from 78% to 126% in 1H this year, and Daewon Pharmaceutical had also focused on the manufacture of COVID-19-related medicines including Coldaewon.

 

◆Sales of Korean Drug’s 'Haben'·Chong Kun Dang 'Modcol' rise over fivefold In addition, sales of Korean Drug’s 'Haben' and Chong Kun Dang’s 'Modcol' had also risen over fivefold in one year, benefiting from the shortage of major household medicines for COVID-19.

 

Celltrion Pharm’s general cold medicine Whituben, Sama Pharm’s antipyretic analgesics Cetophen, and Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s Maxibupen had also increased by over twofold in one year.

 

Ahngook Pharm’s Anyfen, GSK Consumer Healthcare’s Theraflu, Kolon Pharma’s Tramol, KyungDong Pharm’s Gnal-N, Bukwang Pharm’s Tacenol, GC Cross’s Taxen, Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s eZn has also increased by over 50%.

 

Samjin Pharmaceutical’s Geworin saw a relatively small increase in sales.

 

Geworin’s sales, which stood at KRW 7.2 billion last year, increased only 5% to record KRW 7.6 billion in 1H this year.