Sale of cardiovascular drugs up 44%, anti-diabetic drugs up 55% in two years in Gujarat

Time of India

10-06-2025

Ahmedabad: Gujarat faces a growing struggle with lifestyle diseases, as evidenced by increasing sales of medications associated with the treatment of certain conditions. Sales of drugs used to manage cardiovascular diseases and diabetes have shot up by around 44% and 55% respectively in the past two years, suggesting a growing disease burden and increased patient compliance.
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According to data intelligence platform Pharmarack, the moving annual total (MAT) for cardiac therapy drugs stood at Rs 1,632 crore as of May 2025, marking a 44.4% rise from Rs 1,130 crore recorded in May 2023. The corresponding figure for anti-diabetic therapy rose even more sharply, increasing by 55.5% from Rs 688 crore to Rs 1,070 crore during the same period.
MAT is a rolling calculation of sales value over the previous 12 months, and analysts say the consistent uptick highlights a worrying rise in non-communicable diseases driven by sedentary lifestyle, poor diets and mounting stress levels, particularly in urban areas.
According to experts, while the surge in sales is partly due to higher detection and treatment adherence, it also reflects the underlying rise in incidence.
Sheetal Sapale, vice president-commercial, Pharmarack, said, "Rise in incidence is definitely seen, especially among the younger age group. People in their 30s and 40s are now being increasingly diagnosed with chronic conditions that were earlier associated with ageing populations.
Poor lifestyle is the key culprit here. Moreover, with more young people succumbing to cardiovascular diseases, the awareness has also grown substantially, because of which early diagnosis is taking place.
Obesity is another key factor responsible for the higher incidence of diabetes as well as cardiac ailments."
Increased awareness, early diagnosis and improved access to care have also contributed to the jump in drug consumption.
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Several doctors say that more patients are now opting for continuous medication to manage conditions proactively, rather than waiting for complications to arise.
Doctors, however, warn that dietary habits also need to change. "The Indian diet is predominantly carbohydrate-heavy and deficient in protein as well as fibre. There is a rise in the consumption of processed foods which are easily available through quick-commerce apps as well as food aggregators. Obesity in children is becoming increasingly common because of processed and sugary food being consumed by them. These invitations to conditions like diabetes and hypertension and other cardiac ailments," said Dr Manoj Vithalani, a physician and medical expert.
Environmental pollution is also a key factor responsible for poor heart health, according to Dr Vithalani.