Time out with... Tara Dew

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Being in charge of your own OTC healthcare brands sounds like a brilliant job. What do you enjoy most about it and why?

What I enjoy most about leading Alliance Healthcare’s OTC healthcare brands within the UK business is the opportunity to make a real impact on both our pharmacy customers and the patients they serve.

I particularly enjoy building long-term brand strategies for Alvita and Almus OTC and turning those strategies into visible results. Whether it’s launching new products, improving value for pharmacies, or ensuring we have the right products available when patients need them, there is a real sense of ownership and achievement.

Another aspect I find especially rewarding is the collaborative nature of the role. Success relies on bringing together expertise from across the business and our external partners, uniting everyone behind a common goal of providing support to pharmacies with quality, affordable healthcare.

Ultimately, what motivates me most is knowing that the decisions we make can help improve access to trusted healthcare products for communities across the UK. Combining commercial growth with a genuine contribution to patient care is what makes the role so fulfilling.

Are there any downsides?

One of the biggest challenges is that you’re effectively managing the entire life cycle of a product, from identifying an opportunity and finding the right manufacturing partner through to getting it approved, into supply and actually selling well. The breadth of responsibility is what makes the role exciting, but it also means there are a lot of moving parts to coordinate and very little that sits outside your sphere of influence.

The healthcare market is also constantly evolving. Consumer needs change, regulations develop, costs fluctuate, and supply chains can be unpredictable. Balancing all of those factors while ensuring products remain available, competitive and commercially viable requires a lot of collaboration and careful decision-making.

There’s rarely an overnight success story, so patience and resilience are important.

What would we find you doing on an average day?

There probably isn’t such a thing as an ‘average’ day, and that’s one of the reasons I enjoy the role so much. I could be reviewing the sales performance of our Alvita and Almus OTC ranges, discussing product opportunities with manufacturers, or reviewing plans for new product launches. A significant part of my role is also spent collaborating with colleagues across sales, marketing, finance, and procurement to make sure we’re all working towards the same objectives.

People are also a big part of the role. I lead a talented team, so supporting their development, helping them overcome challenges and celebrating successes is incredibly important to me. I also work closely with suppliers and external partners, building relationships that enable us to bring high-quality products to market.

Launching a new product must be exciting. Can you tell us a bit about the process?

Absolutely. Launching a new own brand product is one of the most rewarding parts of the job because you get to see an idea develop all the way from concept to a product that pharmacies and patients can actually use.

The process usually starts with understanding customer needs and market trends. Once we’ve identified an opportunity, we work closely with manufacturing partners to develop the product. That involves evaluating formulations, packaging, quality standards and commercial viability, as well as ensuring all regulatory and technical requirements are met. It’s a highly collaborative process involving teams across procurement, regulatory affairs, supply chain, marketing, sales and finance. From there, we forecast demand and plan supply, since availability is just as important as the product.

Alongside product development, we build the commercial and marketing strategy, looking at pricing, promotional activity, customer communications and positioning, with the aim of ensuring it delivers value for pharmacies and supports long-term growth.

How long does this process take and how many people would typically be involved?

The timeline can vary significantly depending on the type of product being developed. For a non-licensed OTC product, the process will typically take between six and 12 months from initial concept through to launch. For licensed medicines, the timeline is usually much longer, often between 12 and 24 months, due to the additional regulatory requirements, approvals and technical processes involved.

What often surprises people is how many individuals contribute to a successful launch. While there is usually a core project team leading the initiative, bringing a product to market is a genuinely cross-functional effort. Depending on the scale and complexity of the launch, it’s not unusual for 20 or more people to be involved at various stages.

What has been the quickest product you’ve launched and which has taken the longest?

The quickest product I’ve brought to market was a hand gel, which took less than six months from concept to launch. The category was well established, the regulatory requirements were straightforward, and there was a clear customer need, which allowed us to move quickly through supplier selection, packaging and launch planning.

At the other end of the spectrum, the longest project I’ve worked on was a licensed cough medicine, which took approximately three years to bring to market.

Some products can move from idea to shelf relatively quickly when the route to market is clear, while others require years of planning, collaboration and perseverance.

From a community pharmacy point of view, what would you say are the benefits of stocking Almus and Alvita products?

I believe the key benefit of stocking Alvita and Almus OTC products is the combination of quality, value and trust.

Community pharmacies play a vital role in supporting patients’ everyday healthcare needs, and it’s important that they can offer products that deliver reliable quality whilst remaining affordable. Both Alvita and Almus OTC are developed with that goal in mind, helping pharmacies provide trusted healthcare solutions across a wide range of categories.

Another benefit is consistency. We work hard to ensure our products meet high quality standards and are supported by robust supply planning, so pharmacies can have confidence in the products they stock and recommend. Product availability is particularly important in today’s market.

Own brand products can also provide an attractive commercial opportunity. By offering high-quality alternatives to well-known brands, pharmacies can deliver value to patients while supporting their own business objectives. It’s about giving pharmacists choice and flexibility within their range.

Ultimately, our aim is to be a trusted partner to community pharmacy. We want pharmacists to feel confident that when they stock Alvita and Almus OTC products, they’re offering patients quality healthcare solutions backed by a team that understands both the commercial and clinical needs of the pharmacy sector.

We’re always looking at future opportunities. Innovation remains a key focus for us, and we have an exciting pipeline of opportunities under review.