Self-Care Products
Self-Care Products
Self-care products include several categories of products available without prescription:
4.000+
Medicinal Products
Available without
Prescription in Europe
4.000+ Medicinal Products Available Without Prescription in Europe
That’s over 200 different pharmaceutical ingredients (INN) and their combinations
42+ billion
of Self-Care Sales
42+ Billion Packs of Self-Care Products Sold Globally
In 2022, 8,5 billion packs of non-prescription products and 1,3 billion packs of minerals and vitamins were bought by Europeans (Source: IQVIA Consumer Health Data 2022)
1,2 billion
Self-Managed Minor
Health Issues per Year
1,2 billion Self-Managed Minor Health Issues per Year
Ailments that are typically self-managed with self-care products include allergies, gastrointestinal disorders, cuts, bites and rashes, coughs and colds, or mild pain.
34 billion €
Saved for National
Health Systems and
Economies
34 Billion € Saved for National Health Systems and Economies
Self-care products save money that would otherwise be spent on unnecessary doctors’ appointments, prescription medication and missed work.
More than
2.000 Companies
More than 2.000 Companies
All active in the self-care/consumer healthcare sector in Europe, half of which are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
70+
Meetings with
EU Institutions
70+ Meetings with EU Institutions
Held between AESGP and European institutions and agencies. This includes meetings with the European Commission, the European Medicines Agency, and the European Food Safety Authority.
80+
Inter-Associations
Meetings
80+ Inter-Associations Meetings
As part of Inter-Associations Initiatives, AESGP meets with other Industry Trade Associations to work on and discuss sector-specific topics such as pharmaceuticals in the environment, broader environmental sustainability, electronic product information, ingredients, implementation of medical devices, food regulations, and much more.
30 +
External
Engagements
30+ External Engagements
On behalf of the self-care industry, AESGP participated in events organized by the European Parliament, national members, partners, healthcare professional associations, and other expert conferences!
100+
AESGP Committees and
Expert Group Meetings
100+ AESGP Committees and Expert Group Meetings
AESGP primarily operates via 6 technical committees. These committees are composed of AESGP members’ representatives who meet regularly and develop AESGP positions in key areas. Alongside these committees are a number of expert working groups established on specific matters such as supply chain, switch, etc., that assist technical committees.
Global
Leadership
Global Leadership
AESGP represents its members on the global level at the Global Self-Care Federation (GSCF), an organisation that connects associations and manufacturers of self-care products across more than 30 countries in the world.
Joint Papers
and Statements
Joint Papers and Statements
Together with other trade associations, the following joint papers and statements have been released:
New Industry
Papers
New Industry Papers
AESGP has published a series of new positions, articles, and responses to major events and key EU legislative and policy proposals:
Events
58th AESGP Annual Meeting: AESGP Members Meet in Person Again
On June 7th and 8th, AESGP celebrated the 58th edition of its Annual Meeting in Madrid (Spain), the first in-person event to take place since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. With its theme dedicated to "Supporting innovation in self-care at times of uncertainty", the event brought together more than 200 professionals from the self-care sector to analyse the challenges and opportunities of the sector after the COVID-19 pandemic. The professionals included representatives of European institutions, pharmaceutical companies, health professionals, medicine evaluation agencies and national authorities. The 58th AESGP Annual Meeting offered interesting discussions on how to support innovation in these challenging times and how to translate these challenges and uncertainties into opportunities for the self-care sector.
Read the full conference report.Engaging with
the Media
Engaging with the Media
AESGP spoke with different media on pressing issues for the sector, including
The “Voice of Self-Care”
Celebrates Its First Anniversary
The “Voice of Self-Care” Celebrates Its First Anniversary
Launched in 2021, and already boasting over 350 readers, The Voice of Self-Care is a monthly newsletter for anyone interested in the topic of self-care. It captures key actions and areas of interest for AESGP and has been designed to keep external audiences up to date on our latest activities and events. Interested ? Subscribe now!A New
Sustainability Strategy
A New Sustainability Strategy
At AESGP, we are making sustainability an overarching objective of the association and embedding it into our vision. We aspire to lead and champion self-care with an aim to ensure that people have access to safe and effective self-care products while contributing to the sustainability of European healthcare systems and our environment. To achieve that we will:
Spreading the Word About
Self-Care, Sustainability and
Antimicrobial Resistance
Spreading the Word About Self-Care, Sustainability and Antimicrobial Resistance
In 2022, we initiated new awareness campaigns
Our Databases Get a Makeover
Our Databases Get a Makeover
As part of our commitment to evidence-based policy and transparency in the self-care market, we have gained extensive knowledge of the regulatory, legislative and market provision of self-care products. Over the years we have been compiling and providing access to this knowledge via our databases. New advances in technology meant that our databases needed to be revamped to keep up with modern times. Mission accomplished!
Discover our databases here.New Strategy
2022 – 2026
New Strategy 2022 – 2026
Signed off by the AESGP Board in 2021, the new AESGP Strategy 2022 – 2026 kicked off. This new roadmap, developed together with AESGP members, will deliver AESGP’s goals by focusing efforts on the following 5 strategic objectives: