Antibiotics Augmentin, Monocef, liver herbal supplement Liv 52 and oral rehydration Electral are the top-selling drugs for June, data shows. With the arrival of the monsoon season, there’s an uptick in respiratory and gut infections, resulting in higher sales of antibiotics, digestive aids, and oral rehydration solutions. Also, the heat wave which continued in the first half of June pushed the sales of oral rehydration solutions including Electral.
According to the report by market research firm AIOCD-Pharmarack, with the onset of monsoon across the subcontinent, there was a rise seen in sales of drugs related to respiratory, anti-infective, anti-malaria and gastrointestinal in June.
Data shows that the incremental sales of Augmentin stood at Rs 22 crore, which means the sales in June this year when compared to sales in June, last year were Rs 22 cr more. Similarly, sales of Liv 52 were Rs 14 crore more and Electral’s sales were Rs 13.5 crore more than last June.
The report, Pharma Monitor, said that drugs used in the treatment of viral infections, fevers, and vector-borne diseases along with drugs used for treating general weakness and body aches also performed well in June.
The report also said that an increased number of pollen allergy cases reported in June led to demand for anti-allergic medications along with anti-histamines, nasal decongestants and antitussive or cough-suppressing preparations.
Doctors diagnose UTI, Typhoid, Gut Infections and More
Doctors told News18 that Augmentin and Monocef are the two most commonly prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics, and that’s the reason why their volumes of sale are high.
According to Dr Sumit Ray, medical director at Holy Family Hospital, New Delhi, “Monocef, probably prescribed predominantly for gut infections, typhoid and urinary tract infection (UTI), would have high sales, during the hot months, due to an increased possibility of these infections.”
Similarly, Ray explained that “Liv 52 is supposedly an Ayurvedic preparation that supposedly helps the liver, and is prescribed for these reasons as we are a country obsessed with our gut and our liver.”
He explained that electral is a form of oral rehydration therapy, and the sales would have increased during the severe heat waves across the country in June.
Similarly, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, a senior consultant gastroenterologist and former President of the Indian Medical Association, Cochin added that Augmentin can be used in respiratory, urinary and ear infections caused by bacteria that produce the enzyme beta-lactamase, which enables them to escape the basic antibiotic, ampicillin.
“With respiratory illnesses on the rise over the past few years and bacteria becoming resistant to conventional antibiotics, doctors are now having to use more powerful antibiotics to save their patients,” Jayadevan said.
He highlighted Monocef as an antibiotic injection which is generally given in hospital settings. “Its active ingredient is ceftriaxone, a third generation cephalosporin which is used in people who are admitted to hospital with a wide range of bacterial infections,” he said.
Comments
0 comment