Digital is exploding…
national health boards have developed websites and many put information out on
Twitter…pharma and patient support groups are setting up Facebook groups…global sites like Yahoo! Health, msn and MayoClinic feature strongly alongside key locally driven sites such as Hpb.gov.sg
Regulations are tightening…
on disease awareness with no direct engagement to consumers…from 1st February patients who ask their pharmacist for certain drugs without a prescription will need to have their personal details recorded
Access is growing…
with more information available to patients…patient friendly online portals and more health stories in the media. Chronic disease education has stepped up and there are a number of new specialist hospitals in development plus ‘one stop shop’ clinics
Government involvement is increasing…
with Government approval for public forums and in the aesthetic and plastic surgery space
OTC is expanding…
while still limited, the main pharmacy chains such as Guardian and Watsons stock a range of items. They tend to be geared towards a number of core health areas – pain relief, cold and flu, the multivitamin market, skin whitening and weight loss. Health foods and the trend for organic are taking off
Now featuring…
hot topics that spark conversation in the media and beyond are superfoods, avian bird flu, elderly care and cosmetic surgery. Beyond healthcare growing trends are K pop (Korean pop), travel and medical tourism, use of mobile or digital space, infrastructure: buildings, MRT (equivalent to the London Underground) and consumerism (daily deals on sites such as Groupon)
The world is changing quickly…what was true for a market yesterday may be obsolete tomorrow. At Virgo we constantly challenge ourselves to understand the current and future global environment by combining our knowledge from decades of prescription and consumer experience with horizon scanning from our dedicated global team complemented by the on the ground knowledge and experience of our contacts around the world. Virgo HEALTH global: combining macro-level global trends and drivers with local market insight and knowledge.
Thanks to Max PR Singapore for their support
To find out more about Virgo’s approach to global click here or contact meredith.guest@virgohealth.com or sian.boisseau@virgohealth.com