Saridon was a product developed by Roche in 1933. Initially it contained phenacetin as the active ingredient. But later phenacetin was replaced by acetaminophen, a proven safe and effective drug that was easier on the stomach than aspirin.

In 1969 - 36 years after it was launched - Roche brought Saridon to India and continued to manufacture it until 1996 when, under a license agreement, the brand was transferred to the Piramal fold. Today, Saridon has three active

ingredients: propyphenazone, paracetamol and caffeine which work in tandem to provide a very effective pain relieving analgesic.
There have been several communication campaigns for Saridon over the years. The central theme in all of these was quick relief from headaches through 'Just one tablet is enough'. This has been a clear positioning platform and is strongly associated with the brand.
In a high stress society with a high probability of a headache, Saridon is a perfect and safe solution.
 

While every brand has its own unique selling proposition, it is governed by strong perceptions consumers have about them. Saridon's stability and its singular proposition - Just One is Enough - since launch, has provided the brand with trust, so necessary for OTC offerings.
Branded analgesics also compete with many generic brands, which represent about 12%-15% of the market. Driven by the higher margins local brands offer, retailers tend to push these with the consumer. Another reason for the retailer push is that the category has penetrated down to the lowest population strata and the proportion of tablets sold here in strips is quite low. On an average, consumers buy four tablets at a time instead of buying the whole strip.

It is in this market that Saridon competes.There is no bigger spoiler than a pesky headache. Over the years, research has been able to narrow-focus on their possible causes. Five stand out: migraine, tension, noise, eye strain and sinus. While some of these symptoms require professional medical assistance the very fact of there being so many causes would suggest that headaches often strike without warning. It's, therefore, only reasonable to assume that the consumption of headache relievers is most common amongst the consumers.
The total analgesics market in India is estimated to be Rs. 1,250 million. It is divided into two main segments depending on the active ingredient. These are Aspirin and Paracetamol. Paracetamol is a bigger segment at 59% of the market by value. Saridon is a paracetamol tablet and has 23% market share in the overall category of analgesics. This makes Saridon the second largest selling analgesic brand in the country (Source: ACNielsen Retail Audit, June 2003).
Manufactured by Nicholas Piramal Limited under license from F Hoffman-La Roche of Switzerland, Saridon is available with 140,000 chemists and 520,000 other outlets across the country. This wide reach and availability across 660,000 outlets is necessary for a brand like Saridon (Source: ACNielsen Retail Audit, June 2003).