How Covid, lifestyle, and anxiety are driving the antacid market

Stress, anxiety, a sedentary lifestyle, irregular hours for meals and sleep, a diet consisting of takeaways and fast food – a perfect recipe for a variety of health issues. More and more young people today are being afflicted with ailments that would earlier struck one after the age of 50.

One such ailment seen on the rise among the younger generation is acidity. With this, there is a growing use of OTC antacid brands to treat acid reflux that causes heartburn, indigestion, and stomach upset. Treatment with antacids is symptomatic and is usually recommended for minor symptoms.

The pandemic period, which majorly disrupted lives, businesses and the economy, saw people confined to their homes for extended periods, working from home with limited mobility and irregular dietary habits. Several lifestyle ailments have also come to the fore during this period, including acidity. While many still believe in home remedies like consuming ajwain, jeera, hing and pudina, etc., as home remedies to get relief from gas and acidity, majority of the population are today turning to OTC products which are easily accessible at pharmacies at very affordable prices.

The antacids category is divided into three sub-categories – powders (like ENO), liquids (like Digene and Gelusil gel) and tablets (like Digene and Pudin Hara). As per industry data, the category is estimated to be over Rs 2,500 crore, with ENO leading the market with nearly 50% market share.

GSK’s ENO powder competes with Dabur’s Pudin Hara Fizz, Sun Pharma’s Pepfiz and Mankind Pharma’s Gas-O-Fast. Recently, ENO completed 50 years in the Indian market. They are a highly visible brand on television and are using some quirky campaigns to be top of mind. Moreover, being part of GSK, their reach and penetration is spread across the country with a wide distribution network. Despite being an OTC healthcare product, it is well present even in the grocery, kirana and departmental stores. The consumer segments spans across metros and urban markets as well as Tier 2, 3 and rural markets.

There are many known brands also that are easily available and sold on word of mouth or recommended by the local chemists. Both the ayurvedic and allopathic formulations constitute the antacid market. While brands like Digene and Gelusil are part of the allopathic formulation, there are also brands such as Gas-O-fast and Pudin Hara and offerings from Hamdard with their ayurvedic formulations. Both Dabur and Hamdard have been trusted name in the ayurvedic space for a long time and have a strong credibility. ENO leads the market with its formulation of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate and is top of mind for quick acidity relief.

While they say that self-medication is neither advisable nor healthy, antacids is one category that sees people popping the medicine often without prescription from a doctor. The concern about side effects from these products is less as people only go for immediate relief offered by these OTC products. One can only hope that in the long run people learn to tackle the root cause of such lifestyle related ailments with mindful eating and following a healthy lifestyle to achieve mind-body balance.

Sharing her views on the antacid market in India, Bhawna Sikka, Digestive Health Business Lead at GSK Consumer Healthcare India, observed, “In India, culturally we have all been historically groomed to bear or suffer a little. “Thoda sehnaaana chahiye” is what we have always heard and so most people would be very averse to treating at the onset of a problem of any kind, including acidity. The first approach to treatment would also often be with home remedies and while that still remains, post Covid there’s an increased openness to start treatment sooner.”

She further said, “Covid brought in health anxieties and most people feared falling sick and going to doctor. There’s now need to treat sooner and get better fast. The acidity space has been no different; in fact, the stress of the situation, working from home, erratic eating and sleep hours actually exacerbated problems like acidity. Our research data tells us the >60% people over the age of 25 years now suffer from acidity almost once a week. The ease of ordering in food, etc., has resulted in increased acidity incidence even amongst 12–17-year-olds. Historically, the context of acidity was always that of a mild irritant; you put up with, but it wasn’t a debilitating problem like a migraine, for example, so people would just suffer through.”

With the current lifestyle & habits, overall frequency of the problem has gone up and at the same time people want to avoid falling sick; resulting in a higher openness for OTC remedies and especially those that offer fast. So, it’s a combination of lifestyle and investment for education and awareness for brands that is coming in and driving the category growth.

Nisha Sampath, Managing Partner, Bright Angles Consulting, LLP, noted, “Consumers believe acidity is caused by over-consumption of certain foods, for example, tea and spicy dishes. They associate acidity with a range of symptoms, including flatulence, burping, and uneasiness or heaviness after a meal. Not all these conditions actually require an antacid, yet consumers reach for one out of habit, and for the psychological relief it brings them. Kolkata as a market has traditionally been a heavy consumer of antacids – probably more people are habituated to consuming it.”

She further pointed out that acidity remedies sought by consumers include antacid gels and tablets, effervescent tablets or powders like Eno, Ayurvedic products like Pudin Hara and home remedies like milk and jeera water. “Generally, people claim to prefer the home remedies and Ayurvedic products as they are believed to have less side effects. However, today there are many who go for the Rx antacids because they are quick, acting and convenient,” she said, adding, “I strongly feel brands should seriously undertake category education on responsible consumption of antacids under the advice of the doctor, and lifestyle changes that can cure the underlying triggers of acidity attacks.” 

In the last two years we have noticed some fundamental shifts with respect to consumer behaviour when it comes to treatment with OTC solutions in general and also more specifically with antacids. Therefore, one can now see increased direct-to-consumer investment even from brands who previously would only talk to doctors; they, too, are now trying to establish consideration with consumers directly.

Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru & Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc, noted, “We live in tense and tough times. Add to it the fact that eating habits are really not as healthy as they could be. Acidity happens! And consumers do not think twice before popping the antacid. A quick fix is what everyone is looking for, and the antacid seems to offer it to all on its own terms. What’s more, OTC antacid relief is easy, inexpensive and quick. Antacids rule!”