OTC Sales Statistics

OTC Medicines Retail Sales

The following is a compilation of known data on over-the-counter (OTC) medicine retail sales. The figures differ depending upon the source and differing definitions as to what constitutes "OTCs."

Year	Size in Billions ($)
2023	43.4
2022	42.1^♦
2021	38.6^♦
2020	37.5^♦
2019	35.3^♦
2018	34.1^♦
2017	33.5^♦
2016	35.7^♦
2015	32.8^♦
2014	31.4^♦
2013	29.7^♦
2012	28.9^♦
2011	28.2^♦
2010	30.7^‡
2009	27.5^‡
2008	16.8^†
2007	16.0^†
2006	15.3^†
2005	15.0^†
2004	14.1^†
2003	14.2^†
2002	13.6^†
2001	15.0^†
2000	14.7^†
1999	18.9
1998	17.8
1997	17.4
1996	16.5
1995	15.4 (see note)
1994	13.5
1993	13.3
1992	12.2
1991	10.9
1990	10.3
1989	9.7
1988	9.2
1987	13.3^¶
1986	8.5^§
1985	N/A
1984	7.4
1983	6.9
1982	6.2
1981	5.8
1980	5.5
1979	4.9
1978	4.7
1977	4.5*
1976	3.8
1975	3.5
1974	3.3
1973	9.2
1972	3.1
1971	2.9
1970	2.7
1969	2.6
1968	2.4
1967	2.3
1966	2.2
1965	2.0
1964	1.9

Sources: NielsenIQ - total U.S. all outlets (food, drug, mass, select club and dollar store retailers, convenience, and military stores). Data does not include online sales (1992-2023), "Drug Topics"/Nielsen North America (1988-1991), "Drug Topics" (1982-84), and "Product Marketing" (1964-1981).

NOTE: The 1995 sales figure represents a change in the way Nielsen defined an OTC drug and thus shows a greater increase than for other years. The number is more representative of the true OTC drug market as defined by the Food and Drug Administration. The statistic does not include vitamins/minerals/nutritional supplements.

* Due to changes in data collection methods, the actual increase may have been less than indicated.

^§ CHPA compilation of data using only OTC product categories represented by the industry—e.g., not all categories of oral health care and topicals, and no vitamins and nutritional supplements.

^¶ The only available data was provided by Kline & Co. for the 1988 FDA/CHPA symposium. It showed $13.3 billion but included vitamins and nutritional supplements.

^†Excludes Wal-Mart.

^‡Due to methodology changes (including reporting from Wal-Mart and expanded coverage in club, dollar, and convenience channels), sales figures for 2009 represent a more complete picture of the OTC marketplace versus previous years. 2009 through 2013 totals include all U.S. outlets (food, drug, mass, select club and dollar store retailers, convenience, and military stores). A few categories include a combination of OTC medicines as well as health-related products, which are not classified as drugs by FDA.

^♦ Due to methodology changes in 2014, sales figures for 2011-2014 have been updated. These figures no longer include several categories included in 2010 and prior, which caused the figures to decrease.

OTC Sales by Category

OTC Category	2020 (in millions)	2021 (in millions)	2022 (in millions)	2023 (in millions)
Acne	$240	$328	$420	$536
Analgesics, External	$1,146	$1,340	$1,326	$1,370
Analgesics, Internal (includes other pain products)	$4,613	$4,730	$4,942	$4,916
Antidiarrheals	$298	$331	$360	$382
Antiperspirants	$2,489	$2,567	$2,903	$3,115
Anti-Smoking Products	$990	$992	$969	$963
Ear Drop	$41	$47	$62	$62
Eczema & Psoriasis	$300	$342	$416	$456
Enema	$44	$47	$48	$52
Eye Care	$1,340	$1,502	$1,609	$1,735
Female Contraceptive	$523	$635	$652	$672
Feminine Itch & Yeast Treatment	$322	$341	$337	$340
Feminine Hygiene Douches	$34	$31	$28	$29
First Aid	$1,590	$1,543	$1,515	$1,595
Foot Care	$397	$417	$431	$441
Gas Relief	$182	$199	$204	$215
Hair Growth Product	$111	$121	$122	$127
Hand Sanitizer	$1,778	$696	$426	$381
Heartburn	$2,199	$2,232	$2,217	$2,227
Hemorrhoid Treatment	$247	$248	$259	$263
Jock Itch	$58	$59	$56	$67
Laxatives	$1,599	$1,728	$1,826	$1,925
Lice Treatments	$108	$99	$107	$120
Lip/Oral Treatment	$1,151	$1,231	$1,368	$1,384
Motion Sickness	$83	$117	$136	$146
Multi-Symptom GI	$329	$377	$421	$467
Oral Antiseptics and Rinses	$1,606	$1,637	$1,684	$1,898
Petroleum Jelly	$112	$118	$132	$147
Sleeping Aid	$435	$439	$431	$427
Suncare	$1,132	$1,417	$1,522	$1,641
Toothpaste	$3,111	$3,216	$3,348	$3,641
Upper Respiratory	$8,943	$9,529	$11,819	$11,621
Total	$37,556	$38,656	$42,096	$43,361

Sales are in millions of U.S. dollars. A few categories include a combination of OTC medicines as well as health-related products which are not classified as medicines by the Food and Drug Administration.

OTC Sales in Volume

Category	2020 (in millions)	2021 (in millions)	2022 (in millions)	2023 (in millions)
Acne	31	38	42	51
Analgesics, External	141	156	146	143
Analgesics, Internal (includes other pain products)	768	759	741	695
Antidiarrheals	47	55	55	55
Antiperspirants	545	534	524	524
Anti-Smoking Products	32	32	30	29
Ear Drop	6	6	8	7
Eczema & Psoriasis	27	31	34	34
Enema	13	14	14	14
Eye Care	143	153	153	153
Female Contraceptive	12	14	15	16
Feminine Itch & Yeast Treatment	30	31	29	28
Feminine Hygiene Douches	14	12	10	9
First Aid	421	372	328	325
Foot Care	44	45	43	42
Gas Relief	28	29	28	28
Hair Growth Product	4	4	4	4
Hand Sanitizer	606	322	178	143
Heartburn	280	278	264	252
Hemorrhoid Treatment	32	32	32	30
Jock Itch	7	7	7	7
Laxatives	190	194	183	178
Lice Treatment	8	8	7	7
Lip/Oral Treatment	303	310	321	300
Motion Sickness	17	21	23	24
Multi-Symptom GI	60	67	69	71
Oral Antiseptics and Rinses	306	324	310	315
Petroleum Jelly	39	40	42	44
Sleeping Aid	59	57	53	48
Suncare	133	157	163	159
Toothpaste	752	749	727	714
Upper Respiratory Medicine	1,099	1,126	1,333	1,219
Total	6,197	5,977	5,916	5,668

Volume is in millions of U.S. units. A few categories include a combination of OTC medicines as well as health-related products which are not classified as medicines by the Food and Drug Administration.

OTC Medicine Accessibility

As more prescription allergy medicines have switched to OTC, there has been a clear shift toward these more convenient and affordable options. The number of allergy sufferers who use OTCs has gone up from 66 percent in 2009 to 75 percent in 2015.
There are a total of 2.9 billion retail trips annually to purchase OTC products. (source: IRI, 2015)
On average, U.S. households spend about $338 per year on OTC products. (source: IRI, 2015)
OTC medicines provide access 24/7 to conveniently available healthcare options for busy families and caregivers.
Nearly seven in ten parents have given their child an OTC medicine late at night to help treat a sudden medical symptom.
Research shows that 81 percent of adults use OTC medicines as a first response to minor ailments.
The availability of OTC medicines — off the shelf, without a prescription — provides symptomatic relief for an estimated 60 million people who otherwise would not seek treatment.
Without affordable and accessible OTCs, underserved populations would depend more heavily on the highest cost medical care for minor ailments.
- One in four Medicaid patients and one in ten uninsured individuals would seek treatment in an Emergency Department as their first recourse for treatment.
U.S. consumers make 26 trips a year to purchase OTC products. They only visit doctors, on average, three times a year.
While there are approximately 54,000 pharmacies in the United States, there are more than 750,000 retail outlets that sell OTC products.

OTC Medicine Affordability

OTC medicines provide affordable treatment options for both consumers and the U.S. healthcare system.

The availability of OTC medicines creates significant value for the U.S. healthcare system: $146 billion in annual savings relative to alternatives.
- $94.8 billion in clinical cost savings (avoided doctor's office visits and diagnostic testing); and
- $51.6 billion in drug cost savings (lower priced OTCs versus higher priced prescription medicines).
By keeping the American workforce healthy and at work, OTC medicines offer $34 billion in potential productivity benefits from avoided doctor's office visits and time not having to be away from work for medical appointments.
Consumers and taxpayers could save $5.2 billion annually if half of the unnecessary visits to primary care physicians were avoided by more self-care, including greater use of OTC medicines.
86 percent of U.S. adults believe responsible OTC medicine use helps lower healthcare costs for people like them.
For every dollar spent on OTC medicines, the U.S. healthcare system saves more than seven dollars.

OTC Medicines Empower Consumers

OTC medicines empower individuals and families to meet their everyday healthcare needs.

96 percent of U.S. adults believe OTC medicines make it easy for individuals to care for minor medical ailments.
93 percent of U.S. adults prefer to treat their minor ailments with OTC medicines before seeking professional care.
85 percent of U.S. parents prefer to treat their children's minor ailments with an OTC medicine before seeking professional care.
61 million consumers have avoided missing work, school, or other scheduled appointments due to illness because they had access to OTC cough medicines to alleviate their symptoms (based on census data).
70-90 percent of all illness episodes are addressed with self-treatment.

Consumers Trust OTC Medicines

OTC medicines are a trusted first-line of defense for healthcare providers and consumers alike.

For a range of illnesses, eight in ten consumers use OTC medicines to relieve their symptoms without having to see a healthcare professional.
92 percent of physicians believe OTC medicines are effective, and 91 percent believe these medicines are safe.
87 percent of physicians believe OTC medicines are an important part of overall healthcare.
89 percent of consumers believe OTC medicines are an important part of their overall family healthcare.
Consumers depend on OTC cough medicines as a first-response to relieve cough symptoms for themselves and their children:
- Two-thirds (66 percent) of surveyed adults and 70 percent of surveyed parents rely on OTC cough medicines to treat their own and their children's symptoms.

Sources

Assessing Consumer Benefits of Allergy Rx-to-OTC Switches, Nielsen and CHPA, March 2017
"Understanding Trust in OTC Medicines: Consumer and Healthcare Provider Perspectives", Nielsen and IMS, March 2013
"The Value of OTC Medicines to the United States", Booz & Co., Jan. 2012
"Your Health at Hand: Perceptions of over-the-counter medicine in the United States", StrategyOne for CHPA, November 24, 2010
"Potential Reduction in Unnecessary Visits to Doctors from Safe and Appropriate Use of OTC Medicines Could Save Consumers and Taxpayers Billions Annually", Paul A. London and Associates, June 2011