Consumer Health in Latin America

Delivery

This report comes in PPT.

Key Findings

Dengue a concern in Brazil in 2023

Concerns in Brazil moved on from COVID-19 to arboviruses, and dengue in particular, in 2023. Heat followed by rain provided the perfect conditions for the proliferation of insects, especially mosquitoes, with 1.6 million cases of dengue recorded in Brazil in 2023. With specialists recommending acetaminophen and dipyrone to relieve symptoms, this helped these products to maintain the high sales levels they had reached during the pandemic.

Less emphasis on preventative care post-pandemic in Mexico

Preventative health care boosted vitamins and dietary supplements sales in Mexico during the pandemic. However, as Mexicans take a more reactive approach to their health, treating any symptoms as they appear, they have been prioritising spending on things like entertainment, leisure or travel. For the less well-off, inflation has also been biting into purchasing power. Sales of vitamins and dietary supplements were therefore declining in Mexico in 2022 and 2023.

Pharmacies still the main sales channel in Latin America

With medicines only allowed to be sold through pharmacies, and OTC products accounting for around 60% of Brazilian consumer health sales, this channel still accounts for more than 80% of retail value in this country. However, pharmacies are increasingly buying into the digital sphere, with e-commerce reaching a share of 7% in Brazil and 5% regionally in 2023

Sports nutrition to see the fastest forecast period growth

Consumption of sports nutrition products is expected to continue increasing in the coming years, driven by rising demand among its traditional customer base of athletes, gym-goers, fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders, as well as expanding usage among non-traditional users, which will bring such products into the mainstream, including among older consumers looking for the protein intake to help maintain muscle mass as they age.