An EY report estimated that India’s OTC market, valued around Rs 47,000 crore in 2024, is projected to grow to Rs 98,000 crore around 13 per cent CAGR through 2030.
Despite having one of the world’s largest population, India remains significantly under-penetrated, with per capita OTC spend less than 1/10th of the global average, the report said.
Titled “From Prescription to Consumerization: Unlocking Value from OTC Brands in India”, the report captures market analysis and a primary consumer survey of 624 respondents, of how Indians discover, evaluate, and purchase over-the-counter (OTC) products.
Commenting on the report insights, Suresh Subramanian, National Lifesciences Leader, EY Parthenon India, said, “OTC in India is fast becoming a strategic growth pillar for pharma. Our survey shows a clear behavioural shift toward more proactive, informed, and consumer-driven health decisions. While doctors remain central to first-time adoption, repeat purchases are increasingly shaped by usage experience, brand trust, and category-specific channel preferences.”
There is also need for clear regulatory frameworks around product classification, claims, labelling, and consumer communication to enable responsible self-medication and support long-term industry investment, he said.
The survey findings revealed that Indian consumers are becoming more proactive about their health. While younger consumers remain largely reactive (55 per cent of those aged 18-24 report getting health checkups only when health issues arise), preventive behaviour increases sharply with age, the report said.
For trust-intensive categories such as pain removal, 80 per cent of consumers prefer purchasing from pharmacists, while only 20 per cent opt for online channels. Similarly, in chronic health categories, 67 per cent continue to rely on pharmacists, as per the report.
The report spotlights digital’s rising share — with categories such as nutrition and wellbeing and dermatology leaning heavily on e-commerce, e-pharmacies, and q-commerce — and lays out what it takes to win online: content that answers consumer questions, platform category fit, performance marketing and intelligent pricing/promo operations.
The report also highlighted regulatory ambiguity as one of the key constraints to OTC expansion in India, with products currently defined largely by exclusion from prescription schedules under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
