7 January 2026
OTC versus chronic lines in Mekong Delta pharmacies
Why over-the-counter peaks and chronic refill patterns move on different calendars—and how that changes a quarterly outlook letter.
An outlook letter that averages OTC and chronic demand into one ‘pharmacy channel’ figure will mislead any buyer who stocks both.
Chronic lines—hypertension, diabetes support, ongoing gastro care—tend to follow refill appointments and insurer or employer reimbursement cycles. OTC cough, analgesic, and digestive aids swing with weather, festival travel, and school calendars.
For Mekong Delta counters, the wet-season lift in respiratory OTC can arrive two to three weeks after the first sustained rains, while chronic refill volume stays nearly flat. Distributors who load both classes on the same truck schedule either starve one shelf or return the other.
Our letters therefore keep separate paragraphs for OTC impulse classes and chronic refill classes, even when the client’s catalogue mixes them. Buyers tell us that separation alone changes how they brief field sales.