Covid-19 & low base in 2020 boost anti-infectives growth, shows data

Antibiotics, antivirals spur drug category; chronic therapies post lower numbers

Boosted by a Covid-19 drugs portfolio and a low base in 2020, segments like anti-infectives (antibiotics and antivirals), pain and analgesics, and respiratory emerged as the top growing therapies of calendar year 2021 (CY21).

Data from India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) based on AIOCD-AWACS numbers shows that anti-infectives clocked a 25.5 per cent growth in CY21. Similarly, pain and analgesics (which comprises drugs like paracetamol) clocked a 22.6 per cent growth rate. The respiratory segment, which saw declines for most of 2020, posted a 20.1 per cent growth for MAT (moving annual turnover or turnover of the last 12 months)