Respiratory and allergy products, from anti-allergic tablets to cough syrups and drops, are prescribed across general practice, paediatrics and ENT, and demand rises and falls with the seasons. A small, well-chosen respiratory range can add steady seasonal orders to a franchise built on other ranges.

This guide looks at the range from the trade side: who prescribes it, what partners usually stock, how seasons affect demand, and how to choose a starting set.

Where the demand comes from

  • General practitioners and physicians write most respiratory and allergy prescriptions.
  • Paediatricians prescribe syrups and drops for children.
  • ENT specialists and chest physicians prescribe more specialised products.
  • Chemists stock the products that local doctors write, and sell more in peak seasons.

Demand also varies by region and by year: a long winter or a heavy pollen season can change what sells and how much. Talk to the chemists you visit about which months are busiest for respiratory products in your area, and use their experience to plan your first season.

The product families partners stock

In Ancare’s respiratory and allergy range, for example, the products include:

  • montelukast and levocetirizine combinations;
  • fexofenadine tablets;
  • cough and cold syrups and drops, with dextromethorphan, phenylephrine, chlorpheniramine, guaiphenesin, ambroxol, terbutaline or levosalbutamol;
  • cyproheptadine and tricholine citrate syrups.

Several of these products also appear in the pediatric range, because many are prescribed in liquid forms for children.

Dosage forms

Of the 14 products in Ancare’s respiratory and allergy range at the time of writing, 4 are tablets, 6 syrups, 2 oral suspensions and 2 oral drops. A liquid-heavy range means:

  • more shelf space per product than tablets;
  • checking bottles for leaks and breakage on arrival;
  • stocking the pack sizes your prescribers write.

Planning for seasons

Respiratory and allergy demand is seasonal: it usually rises in winter and during the pollen and dust seasons in many regions. Plan around it:

  • build stock ahead of the season, not during it;
  • avoid overstocking liquids that might not sell before expiry;
  • keep the core anti-allergic tablets in stock all year, since they sell more evenly;
  • watch which products your chemists reorder first each season.

Planning a starting set

Question Why it matters
Do you visit paediatricians as well as general practitioners? Paediatric demand needs syrups and drops
Which combinations are written in your area? Cough and cold combinations vary widely
When are the peak seasons in your area? Decides when to build stock
Do you already carry a pediatric range? Some products overlap; avoid ordering the same product twice

A common starting set is a montelukast and levocetirizine tablet, an anti-allergic tablet, two cough and cold syrups and one paediatric drop.

Building the range over the first year

Months 1–3: the all-year products. Start with the anti-allergic tablets, such as montelukast and levocetirizine combinations and fexofenadine, which sell through much of the year.

Months 4–6: seasonal products. Add cough and cold syrups and drops a few weeks before the season they sell in, in quantities you can clear before the season ends.

Months 7–12: review and refine. By the end of the first year you will have seen at least one full season. Keep the products that sold well, drop the slow ones, and plan the next season’s stock from your own order history.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Ordering seasonal products late. If stock arrives after the season has started, chemists will already have bought from someone else.
  • Ordering too much of a seasonal product. Leftover syrups may approach expiry before the next season.
  • Duplicating the pediatric range. Several products appear in both ranges; check before ordering the same product twice.
  • Out-of-date product information. Some cough and cold combinations are subject to specific regulatory conditions; keep your product information current with the company.

How to tell whether the range is working

A respiratory range is judged season by season. Useful signs are:

  • anti-allergic tablets selling steadily between seasons;
  • seasonal products clearing before the season ends, with little stock left to age;
  • chemists ordering early for the next season, which shows they expect your products to sell;
  • the same doctors writing your products in each peak season.

Keep a simple record of when each seasonal product started and stopped selling in your area. Next year it will tell you exactly when to build stock and how much to order, which protects you from both shortages and expired stock.

Questions to ask the company about this range

  1. Which anti-allergic tablets are in the range, and in which strengths?
  2. Which cough and cold syrups and drops are available, and for adult or paediatric use?
  3. How early can seasonal stock be ordered and dispatched before the peak season?
  4. Which products also appear in the pediatric range, so that you do not order the same item twice?
  5. Is the product information for each combination current with the latest regulatory position?

Timing is everything in this range, so the answer to the third question shapes your whole seasonal plan.

Working the range with your other ranges

Respiratory and allergy products are written by the same general practitioners and paediatricians who write antibiotics and children’s products. Carrying respiratory products alongside the antibiotic or pediatric range lets you cover these prescriptions together, especially in the seasons when demand is highest.

Promotion

Present compositions and strengths accurately, leave clinical choices to the prescriber, and follow the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices. Some cough and cold combinations are subject to specific regulatory conditions, so keep your product information up to date with the company.

Ancare’s respiratory and allergy range

Ancare Life Sciences, Panchkula, markets 14 products in its respiratory and allergy range, with full compositions and packs. Look up any salt in our products by composition index.

See how to start a PCD pharma franchise for choosing your first ranges, or contact us for the price list for your area.