PharmaLinea targets Asian market in aftermath of pandemic as consumers seek better nutrition

21 Sep 2022 --- PharmaLinea is underscoring the importance of tackling iron deficiency in Southeast Asia through the trending forms of its nutrient-fortified solutions.

“World Health Organization (WHO) data shows iron deficiency is a pressing issue in Southeast Asia,” Jernej Klopčič, director of business development at PharmaLinea, tells NutritionInsight. “Markets are flooded with commodity and traditional herbal supplements, so companies are increasingly looking for differentiation that can be achieved with clinically supported products.”

“We are also happy to see that a growing number of companies in the region are looking for added-value products.” 

Focus on formatThe rise of e-sports in countries like South Korea led the company to explore new positions for some of its product lines. 
The company states that non-pill formats are more often developed in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, and consumers there have come to expect more innovation in supplement delivery. However, Klopčič notes that there are not that many options available in the current market. 

Furthermore, the company acknowledges when it comes to nutrients like iron in liquid or dispersible powder formats, addressing the issues of taste, dosage, avoiding teeth and tongue staining, stickiness and doing that all while keeping the product sugar-free takes years of R&D.

However, it holds that products such as Your Iron Forte Orosticks and Your Iron Forte Liquid Sticks have met those challenges.

“Many products cause severe side effects and come with an unpleasant taste or in delivery formats that are not particularly user-friendly,” says Klopčič. “Two forms we would point out are liquids and powders – either in classic sachets or more recently in direct sticks.”

“Catering to these preferences is one of the reasons why we continue to invest in delivery forms such as sprays, direct sticks, and liquids in general,” he underscores. “Among our clients who have launched our liquid iron products, the most success comes from South Korea.” 

An abundance of opportunities
Despite the distance between the Slovenia-based company and the APAC region, the company maintains that the area has been a strategic focus for some time. It notes that the area is very large and that each country it is able to operate in represents its own considerable market with its own individual needs.

“It is also the local consumer’s perception of certain health benefits that has affected our operations,” elaborates Klopčič. “Currently, our key focus in Asia is SEA countries and South Korea. In most of these countries, we either have successful products on the market or in the registration process.”The format of supplements is of great importance to consumers in the Southeast Asia region.

“Our line of products for bone health gained strategic importance within our portfolio partly due to its success in Southeast Asia, where one of our products is leading in Vietnam,” he continues. “There, the main positioning is not generally healthy bones but explicitly focused on healthy growth and body height, which we would not have foreseen when developing the product.” 

“Another example is the booming e-sports supplement segment in South Korea which led us to explore a new angle of positioning for our line of products in preventive eye health.”

An ever-expanding market?
Though the health and food supplement market received a huge boost over the past couple of years, primarily due to the effects of the pandemic, PharmLinea states that it does expect a slowdown in market growth for several countries within the APAC area as COVID-19 fears subside. Yet, they expect that growth to return in the long term.

“We think that local markets will further develop in the direction of clinically supported and value-added products, delivered in increasingly user-friendly ways,” Klopčič concludes. “We have been observing this trend for some years now, and it seems it will only grow stronger.” 

“This is perfectly aligned with our business model and offer, which makes this region one of our strategic cornerstones in the future as well.”

By William Bradford Nichols