Cardiac, GI Power Indian Pharma Market's 7.5% March Surge

This performance reflects the sector's ongoing resilience, with chronic therapy areas such as Cardiac, Gastrointestinal, and Derma segments showing significant contributions to the overall growth.

Among the super therapy groups, the Cardiac segment continued to lead in terms of market value, generating Rs 30,203 crore in sales and recording a year-on-year growth of 10.8%. The Gastrointestinal segment followed closely, with sales worth Rs 27,421 crore, registering a 10.2% growth in value and a notable 5.7% increase in volume. Anti-Infectives also remained a high-value segment, posting Rs 26,493 crore in revenue, although unit sales contracted slightly by 1.6%. The Anti-Diabetic category saw an 8% value growth with sales at Rs 20,711 crore, while the Vitamins, Minerals and Nutrients segment brought in Rs 20,364 crore, growing by 7.6% in value terms. The Derma segment stood out with one of the highest value growths at 11.3%, touching Rs 14,606 crore. Meanwhile, the Respiratory and Vaccines segments witnessed subdued performances, with the latter seeing a significant 14% decline in unit sales.

The quarterly growth for March 2025 was reported at 7.84%, supported predominantly by a price increase of 5.3%, while volume growth remained muted at 0.2%. This trend has been consistent over recent quarters, indicating that price escalation continues to be the primary driver of market expansion, rather than a sharp uptick in consumption.

In terms of corporate performance, Sun Pharma along with Ranbaxy retained its leadership position in the Indian market with a MAT value of Rs 18,657 crore, capturing an 8.3% share of the market and growing at a solid 12.4%. Abbott and Novo Nordisk, together, held the second spot with Rs 13,306 crore, followed by Mankind and Bharat Serums, whose combined portfolio stood at Rs 12,880 crore and posted a 9.5% growth. Cipla remained among the top five, registering Rs 11,708 crore in sales with a growth rate of 7.8%, while Alkem with Cachet reported Rs 9,196 crore and grew by 7%.

Mankind Pharma continued to make significant strides in market positioning with consistent double-digit growth, reflecting strong brand traction across both chronic and acute therapies. Glenmark and Emcure also posted healthy value growth figures, reinforcing their competitive edge in a fragmented market.

On the brand side, GSK’s Augmentin held the top spot with a MAT value of Rs 816 crore. It was closely followed by USV’s Glycomet GP at Rs 803 crore and Alkem’s Pan at Rs 774 crore. Abbott’s Mixtard and Himalaya’s Liv.52 also performed strongly with MAT values of Rs 772 crore and Rs 731 crore respectively. High-growth brands included Pan D and Manforce, which reported growth rates of 14.6% and 18.1%, further underlining the robust demand for gastrointestinal and reproductive health products.

Overall, March 2025 saw sustained growth momentum in the Indian pharma market, with chronic therapies continuing to drive performance. While pricing remains the key contributor to value expansion, marginal improvements in unit sales point to a gradually strengthening consumption trend. As the industry heads further into FY25, it appears well-positioned to maintain steady growth, backed by product diversification, therapy innovation, and continued demand in lifestyle and chronic care segments.