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Indian Pharma Market Grows 7.2% in May, Driven by Chronic and Niche Therapies

Leading the charge were chronic therapies like cardiac and anti-infectives, which together contribute nearly a quarter of the domestic market’s value. These segments saw healthy growth at 11.7% and 7.6%, respectively.

• By Newsdesk
• New Delhi
• Jun 06, 2025

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India’s pharmaceutical industry posted a steady 7.2% year-on-year growth in May 2025, buoyed by strong performances in chronic and specialty therapy segments, according to the latest data from market research firm Pharmarack.

Leading the charge were chronic therapies like cardiac and anti-infectives, which together contribute nearly a quarter of the domestic market’s value. These segments saw healthy growth at 11.7% and 7.6%, respectively. Meanwhile, smaller but high-growth therapy areas such as urology and antineoplastics—each comprising about 2% of the total sales—grew even faster, registering gains of 12.3% and 11.7%.

"The market’s momentum was largely supported by price increases and new product launches," noted Sheetal Sapale, Vice President, Commercial at Pharmarack. However, overall unit growth in the market remained flat, at just 0.4%, with chronic segments like antidiabetics (6.1%) and cardiac (4.8%) outperforming the average.

A significant driver behind the surge in antidiabetic volumes was the patent expiry of empagliflozin. This led to a flurry of plain and combination drug launches by Indian pharmaceutical companies, making treatments more accessible and expanding market share.

On a broader scale, the Indian Pharma Market recorded an 8.1% growth in moving annual turnover (MAT) between June 2024 and May 2025, reaching a value of over ₹2.29 trillion. In volume terms, the domestic market rose by 1.1%.

Among the largest therapy categories, cardiac, gastrointestinal, and anti-infectives—which together represent roughly 38% of the IPM—showed robust MAT volume growth of 10.4%, 9.5%, and 6.5%, respectively.

In terms of corporate performance, industry giants Sun Pharma and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories each posted a monthly value growth of 11.2%. Torrent Pharma and Ipca Laboratories followed closely with 10.8% growth, while Alkem Laboratories clocked in at 10.3%.

Among individual brands, GSK’s antibiotic Augmentin and USV’s diabetes medication Glycomet GP remained market leaders at the MAT level, with sales of ₹819 crore and ₹810 crore, respectively.

Overall, the latest figures reflect a resilient and adaptive Indian pharma sector, driven by innovation in chronic care and strategic product launches in key therapeutic areas.