Marketing OTC Pharmaceutical Products: An Analysis on Customers’ Attitudes

This paper examines the determinants of consumers’ attitudes and determines the factors affecting the purchasing behaviour of customers of OTC medicines. Specifically, this study employed the theory of planned behaviour to investigate the antecedent factors contributing to an individual's decision within the over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical market. In addition, several hypotheses in relation to the theory of planned behaviour were investigated. A survey of 120 OTC consumers was used to determine the purchase of OTC medicine on the basis of price, gender, and income. It also tried to investigate whether the preference of pharmaceutical companies (MNCs or Indian) by the customers’ depends on the income of the group. This study's empirical evidence suggests that the purchase of OTC pharmaceutical products depends on gender, the gender class (male or female) does not depend upon doctor's prescription and customer's income is directly related to the price of the medicine. It has also established that the preference of pharmaceutical companies (MNCs or Indian) does depend upon the income of the group and the customers are generally equal in type.