Pharma cos cash in on painkiller demand

AHMEDABAD: Pharma majors, who have a presence in the pain-management segment, are making huge profits due to the spread of air and water-borne diseases across India. Pharmaceutical companies are witnessing a phenomenal growth of as much as 50% or more in demand for their drugs in the pain-management segment since the onset of monsoon in July this year.

The result has been an impressive 30% growth in the overall pain-management market in July and August this year compared with the same period last year. Pharma majors such as Novartis, Pfizer, Glaxo-SmithKline and Dr Reddy’s have now increased their production of painkillers to meet the growing demand.

Sample this. The overall sale of painkillers in India stood at Rs 246.8 crore in July this year as compared to Rs 187.8 crore in the same period last year, registering a growth of 31.4%. Similarly, sales grew 27% to
Rs 257.5 crore in August this year compared to Rs 203 crore in August ’05.

In July, Gujarat market alone fetched Rs 51 crore or almost 21% of the all India sales. Similarly, other states like Karnatka, Maharashtra and Rajasthan witnessed a surge in sales during August.

Some of the top gainers in the recent times are — Voveron, Calpol, Nise, Combiflam, Dolonex, Flexon and Moov. While sales in value terms of Novartis’s Voveron grew 38.72% and 41% in July and August, respectively, sales of Pfizer-owned Dolonex grew from Rs 6.9 crore in July-August last year to over Rs 10.3 crore during the two month period this year, registering a 50% growth.

“The sale of painkillers is on an all-time high. Most of the states in India, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Kerala, Karnatka and Rajasthan, have been severely impacted by air and water-borne diseases such as dengue and chikun gunya leading to the demand for painkillers,” said JS Shinde, honorary secretary, The Chemist and Druggist Association of India.