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Abstract
The pharmaceutical industry is knowledgeable driven industry and is heavily dependent on Research and Development for new products and growth. However, basic research (Discovering new molecules) is a time consuming and expensive process and is thus dominated by multinationals. A new market of consumer-focused healthcare products is emerging to occupy the space between consumer goods and pharmaceuticals - and becoming a battleground that giants in both industries are gearing up to dominate. Many factors consumer awareness of health issues, higher personal incomes, more focus on fitness, and the urbanization of emerging economies, just to name a few have combined to create a new market for healthcare products. And the world's leading pharmaceutical and consumer goods companies are eager to do battle for this new market's seemingly unlimited potential. These companies bring different strengths and weaknesses to the battle. We believe the consumer health company of the future will be an amalgam of the two industries, able to engage consumers and prove the clinical effectiveness of their products and as adept at dealing with medical professionals as negotiating supermarket shelf space. Even more important, such a company will have the ability to identify unmet consumer needs and develop innovative ways to unlock true value in the marketplace.