Mumbai: For the first time in nearly two years, the domestic pharma retail market dipped into negative territory in April with a 9% decline, indicating a slowdown in the overall industry growth. The market had last posted a negative growth during May and August 2020, due to poor sales during the lockdown triggered by the pandemic.
What is of a bigger concern is that sales of chronic therapies — usually more resilient — are also sluggish, with cardiac drugs even registering a decline of 4% month-on-month. The negative growth is attributed to the base effect, an industry expert said — the base of higher sales of Covid-related portfolio in the corresponding period of the previous year. Amid the Delta wave, sales of anti-respiratory, painkillers, antibiotics and anti-virals had spiralled.
Significantly, excluding Covid-related medication drugs, the market was flat in April, showing…
What is of a bigger concern is that sales of chronic therapies — usually more resilient — are also sluggish, with cardiac drugs even registering a decline of 4% month-on-month. The negative growth is attributed to the base effect, an industry expert said — the base of higher sales of Covid-related portfolio in the corresponding period of the previous year. Amid the Delta wave, sales of anti-respiratory, painkillers, antibiotics and anti-virals had spiralled.
Significantly, excluding Covid-related medication drugs, the market was flat in April, showing…
Advertisement
