Retail pharma logs 13.9% growth in Jan

NEW DELHI: After a dull 2007, the domestic retail pharma industry has begun the new year on a high note. The retail industry grew 13.9% in the latest ORG monthly sales figure (January) while the industry grew by 12% in the whole of 2007. In 2007, industry had slowed down and grew by just over 12% compared to around 15% in 2006. However, in January, the top 25 drug makers, with the exception of Nicholas Piramal (now Piramal Healthcare), posted healthy growth rates during the first month of the year.

However, industry fears that the encouraging growth rate could be temporary given the regulatory hurdles. ���If more popular drugs are brought under price control, the growth may slow down considerably. Last year, the growth rate slowed down following policy changes,��� says a top executive of a leading domestic pharma company.��� Our Bureau