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32 THE PHARMACY STATE OF THE INDUSTRY REPORT 70% growth Weekly Pharmacy Consumer Health Sales (Units) 21.9 Million 9.7 Million 25% drop New COVID-19 Cases Australia 2020 2019 2018 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 Figure 1. Following a surge in demand for pharmacy items at the peak of COVID-19, a drop is seen that will hopefully return to prior year levels in coming weeks FROM PAG 31 pharmacies, equating to $2.34 billion in value. • Of the 26 consumer health categories with significant growth throughout peak weeks, 16 are in decline of varying degrees in the subsequent five weeks compared with the same five weeks in 2019. • Three factors are determining if there will be any upside over the long term for a category: Increased consumption or use • Hand sanitiser, vitamin C, immunity supplements, disinfectants, gloves, soaps, thermometers all still exhibited growth looking at the five weeks until May 2, post the COVID-19 peak. Stockpiling • Suppliers of categories that saw high levels of stockpiling question whether there will be a corresponding decline resulting in no long-term uplift. Cross border influence • Circulation supplements showed strong growth throughout the peak COVID-19 weeks of 58 per cent. Recently this category has shown even further growth of 117 per cent as other categories have either tapered off or are in decline. Which categories have performed? Between January 19 and May 2, more than 191 million units were sold in pharmacies, equating to $2.34 billion in value. Reflecting on the peak five-week period, from February 23 to March 28, we observe extraordinary growth across many categories. The highest impacted categories have been hand sanitiser with 435 per cent growth compared with the same period in 2019, cold and flu immunity with a 366 per cent increase, thermometers, up 359 per cent, wipes with an increase of 339 per cent, and household disinfectants, achieving 333 per cent growth. What are the prescribing trends compared with last year? Every single therapeutic class saw growth quarter on quarter compared with last year. Of note was the surge in demand for respiratory medicines with 47 per cent growth compared with Q1 in 2019 (as a rush of new and existing patients flooded pharmacy with prescriptions for products that patients hoped would protect them from the worst effects of COVID-19). On March 16, Elon Musk tweeted a link to a questionable article claiming the potential benefits of chloroquine.1 Later that same week (March 21), President Donald Trump tweeted: “HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE and AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the Recommend Chemists’ Own® this allergy season www.chemistsown.com.au THIS MEDICINE MAY NOT BE RIGHT FOR YOU. ALWAYS READ THE LABEL BEFORE PURCHASE. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR USE. IF SYMPTOMS PERSIST, TALK TO YOU HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. RETAIL PHARMACY • JUL 2020