We buy nasal spray like never before

Nasal sprayNasal spray.Photo:Pixabay

Of the 6 million bottles of nasal spray we bought in 2017,seven out of ten were purchased outside pharmacies. Never before have people bought as much nasal spray as last year.

 

Nasal spray sales, measured by the number of doses, increased by 11% from 2016 to 2017, showed the ‘Folkehelseinstitutt’s’ figures for the sale of non-prescription drugs. The sale of nasal spray has doubled since 1999.

According to the National Institute of Public Health, seasonal variations of influenza and pollen allergy have affected sales.

‘’Pollen spread started earlier in 2017 due to a mild winter. This may have contributed to the fact that the increase in 2017 was greater than previously,said senior advisor, Solveig Sakhaug, at the Institute of Public Health.

Sakhaug warned against excessive use of nasal spray, and emphasised that the spray should only be used for limited periods, a maximum 10 days.

‘’Nasal spray quickly relieves symptoms, but use over time may lead to a persistently blocked nose’’, she warned.

Nicotine-containing and allergy medicines also showed strong sales growth last year. Measured in doses, sales of smoke-free preparations increased by 7%, while prescription-free allergy tablets increased by 8% last year.

9 million packages of prescription-free paracetamol were sold in 2017, but sales fell 1%. On average, however, each citizen bought almost two boxes of 20 tablets last year. Sales of non-prescription packages of ‘ibuprofen’ increased by 1%, measured in doses.

 

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today