They are called drugs without a prescription obligation. They can therefore buy without the doctor’s recipe. We use them for many symptoms to be soothing, from headache to allergy, from fever to stomach pain, to the dynamics of the movements of the intestine, from the problems of the skin to the small circulation disorders.
But what are the Consumption and shopping trends For these drugs? Here, on the basis of the elaborations of Assosalute (National Association of self -medication drugs, part of Federchimica) on New Line data – market research, as the Italians behaved in 2024.
Back to the past
According to the data, the drug market without prescription obligation in 2024 confirms the tendency to stabilization already observed in 2023, with one Sales volumes contraction and one Content growth of turnover. According to the year, almost 291 million packs were dispensed, with a drop of -2.6% compared to 2023, while the total turnover reached just over 3 billion euros, marking an increase in +1, 7%.
The dynamics of volumes reflects the epidemiological stabilization After the two-year period 2021-2022, marked by a surge in sales due to the high incidence of seasonal pathologies, linked to the progressive ease of the containment measures of the pandemic and the transition of the Covid-19 to an endemic form, which often manifests itself in Mild forms. Although the sales levels remain higher than the pre-plating ones, the sector is therefore confirmed, strongly conditioned by the circulation of respiratory viruses, by the trend of flu syndromes and, more generally, with a greater or lesser incidence of non-serious disorders .
How the market moved
The analysis of the data shows that several factors have led to the sales trend in 2024 When the peak of diffusion occurred in December, this year the maximum incidence of the flu and cooling syndromes was observed in the fourth week of 2025, thus causing a different trend of the demand for bench drugsminor in the last part of 2024 compared to what was observed last year.
At the same time, the presence throughout the year of mild variants of Sars-Cov-2, and the simultaneous circulation with other respiratory viruses even in the warm months have led to a greater and “out of season” use of drugs against respiratory affectionswhich represent the first therapeutic class of the medicinal market without a recipe obligation. In fact, while in December 2024 the volumes of this type of medicines made a contraction of 24.7%, in the summer months a one has been seen exceptional increase ( +18.9% in July, +12.3% in August +6.2% in September). These factors confirm once again how much the use of drugs without a prescription is strictly linked to external factorslike epidemiological trend and seasonality.
Which they are and where we buy them
In 2024, the sales of the two main categories of the class of drugs without prescription obligation – The self -medication medicines or OTC (Over the Counter) and the sop (Behind the Counter) – follow different trends.
The OTC (which constitute 75% of the market at values and 71.3% of the volume one), with a turnover of almost 2.3 billion euros and over 207 million packs sold, record a drop from -3 , 6% in the dispensed packs, while the sops remain almost stable (+0.1%). In terms of turnover, growth is more contained for OTC ( +1.3%) than the sops, which mark a more decisive increase than +2.7%.
Market distribution between the different sales channels (Pharmacies, parapharmacies and corners of the large -scale distribution organized (GDO) remains stable. The physical pharmacy continues to hold the dominant share, with 90.2% of the market with volumes and 91.5% in values. The online sales they continue to represent one reduced of the market, equal to 3.5% of the dispensed packaging (10.3 million) and 2.7% of the total turnover of the sector (82.5 million euros). However, the e-commerce sector confirms a positive trend, with a growth of +10.0% in turnover and +5.3% in the volumes, consolidating the tendency to digital over-the-counter drugs. Michele Tree, president of Federchimica Assosalute, specified that:
The market trend reflects the more and more aware role of citizens in the management of one’s health. The drugs without prescription obligation are taken if and when they serve and remain a fundamental resource To deal with mild disorders independentlybut it is essential to continue promoting responsible use of it. In a context in which the care needs evolve as they change the ways in which people are informed, promote one correct health communication From authoritative sources it means offering people for more aware health choices, thus contributing to collective well -being.
