India's major drug players bet on new brand launches, shows data

Indian drug firms have been prolific with brand launches over the past 10 years despite the reduction in growth contribution from new products in recent years.

Industry insiders say brand launches are the lifeline of the pharma industry, and ensure steady volume growth and market share. The data from research by Systematix Institutional Research shows the top drug firms launched 284-457 brands a year between FY10 and FY20.

On average, that comes to about 300, including brand extensions, a year (see chart).

Sudarshan Jain, secretary general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), which represents the top 24 drug firms in