Welcoming new possibilities for purchasing

Hungarians spend a lot of money on pharmaceutical products. Practically all families keep pain killers and fever reducers at home. Young people and city dwellers have welcomed new legislation which had made OTC products available outside pharmacies. Szinapszis Kft. is a market research company specialising in pharmaceutical and medical products. They have prepared a survey of a thousand-strong representative sample, about consumer habits in the market of pharmaceuticals, for the second time. Families spend an average of HUF 15 400 per month on pharmaceutical products and medical services, which is four thousand more than a year ago. The composition of this expenditure is illustrated in the figure below: Practically all households keep pain killers, fever reducers and anti-inflammation products. The most popular product is still Algopyrin, which now requires a prescription. It is still unclear if it is going to be displaced by OTC products or not. Health consciousness of the population is growing, but people still often use groundless self-therapies. 20 per cent of people interviewed even deviate from the therapy prescribed by doctors. 40 per cent of the sample said that they often don’t bother to buy the medicine prescribed by doctors. Patients are primarily interested in the side effects of products and 90 per cent of them read the information enclosed in packaging. 50 per cent of patients regularly read information displayed in pharmacies and clinics. The primary source of information regarding medicinal products is TV and radio, while printed publications come second and professionals only come third. Information from doctors and pharmacists is however, regarded as the most reliable by patients. 98 per cent of the people interviewed were aware that OTC products are available outside pharmacies as well and the majority welcomed this change. Among potential sources of OTC products, petrol stations and supermarkets are preferred as a result of being open for the longest hours.