medicines: Panic buying of drugs down since mid-April

New Delhi:Panic buying of medicines appears to be on the wane, with wider availability of drugs now. Medicine purchases surged after the lockdown was announced last month as customers anticipated shortages.

However, buying has been on the decline since mid-April, according to data from AIOCD AWACS, a market research firm formed by the All Indian Origin Chemists & Distributors.

Sales of anti-infective medicines in the April 1-22 period eased to 62% from levels seen from March 1to 22. While sales of antidiabetes drugs touched 106% of the March 1-22 levels in this period, during April 16-22 they dropped to 83% from levels in the corresponding week in March.

“Anti-infectives have reduced significantly. Due to the lockdown, both waterborne and airborne diseases have reduced, so the need for anti-infectives has declined,” said Ameesh Masurekar, director of AIOCD AWACS.

Demand for gastroenterology drugs, vitamins and analgesics also slowed. “They are also showing significant downside in April compared to March corresponding period sales,” Masurekar said. Some experts were concerned about growth for pharmaceutical industry due to the hoarding of medicines since March as a result of the lockdown.

In March, sales of cardiac drugs surged 19.8% compared with an 11% increase in February. Sales of antidiabetes drugs grew 18.2% compared with 11% in February. The highest growth was seen in respiratory products, at 22.9%.