Evolving The UK Consumer Health Industry, With PAGB’s Michelle Riddalls

Exerting maximum influence on stakeholders, helping companies navigate regulatory complexity and promoting industry best practice are three big jobs that the UK consumer healthcare industry association, PAGB, has set itself for the next five years. In the last five years, PAGB has made significant headway with UK government, reports PAGB CEO Michelle Riddalls, establishing the economic and social value of self-care and ensuring that self-care is part of the UK’s national healthcare strategy. Rx-to-OTC switch has been a major area of success, Michelle notes in this episode of the Over the Counter podcast. The Department of Health and Social Care recently published a list of switches it would like to see applications for, and PAGB is now facilitating members to take advantage of this opportunity. But there’s always more work to be done. Switch involves significant risk, which PAGB is trying to reduce through further work with policy makers, and with a new government, the association must ensure that self-care remains high up on the agenda for politicians. Given the breadth of PAGB’s work discussed by Michelle, we have split this episode into two, so watch out for the second part in two weeks’ time on your favourite podcast provider and on Citeline’s HBW Insight. Timestamps 2:10 – Introductions 2:40 – PAGB’s new five-year strategy 5:40 – Evolution not revolution 8:00 – Self-care and UK government policy 10:30 – Quantifying the value of self-care 12:30 – Lobbying around AMR and OTCs 16:00 – Rx-to-OTC switch in the UK 24:00 – The power of brands Guest Bio Michelle Riddalls OBE is Chief Executive Officer of PAGB, the consumer healthcare association, which represents the manufacturers of branded over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, self-care medical devices and food supplements in the UK. Prior to joining PAGB, Michelle was Director of Regulatory Affairs for the Northern European Cluster at Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, where she was integral in the highly successful POM to GSL reclassification of Nexium Control and the Viagra Connect POM to P switch. Michelle has been recognised across a number of industry awards, including the Women in Trade Powerlist in 2024, and was awarded an OBE for outstanding services to consumer health in the King’s 2025 New Year Honours.