Cholesterol drug sales set to double

Sales of cholesterol lowering agents, or statins, are set to shoot up with the increasing use of these drugs by patients of asthma, sepsis, inflammation and diabetes.

An official from an Indian drugmaker, which makes generic simvastatin, (one of the several statin variants) said, “though statins are positioned only as cholesterol-reducing drugs, if they are getting used for other indications, it would lead to double-digit growth in sales in the years to come.”

Currently, the domestic statin market is about Rs 1,000 crore, growing at a single digit rate per annum. Companies like Ranbaxy, Biocon, Cipla and Orchid produce generic versions.

Sarabjit Kour Nangra, vice-president, research, Angel Broking said, “with more people prescribing and consuming it for other indications, the market would spruce up.”
Healthcare experts believe statins have uses other than just reducing cholesterol levels.
Upendra Kaul, executive director & dean-cardiology, Escorts Heart Institute & Research Centre, New Delhi, said statins are indicated in high-risk patients. “It is prescribed for those who have a high risk for getting heart attacks, like diabetics patients,” said Kaul.
Diabetics with LDL cholesterol (low density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol) of more than 100 need statins, says Ameya Udyavar, consultant cardiologist, PD Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai.

“The moment a diabetic’s LDL cholesterol level rises to more than 100, he should be put on statins,” Udyavar added.

India has over 41 million diabetics, and is expected to be home to over 60% of the world’s heart patients by 2010.

The market for statins in the country is thus likely to grow by leaps and bounds.
Udyavar says there are studies which show statins can help reduce dementia, blood pressure and kidney damage.

However, these drugs can also have side effects like chronic fatigue, myopathy (a disease resulting in muscular weakness), says V Sarma, consultant, internal medicine, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital in Navi Mumbai.

Global sales of Pfizer’s Lipitor, the world’s largest-selling drug, were at $12.4 billion in 2008, according to Bloomberg.

This is almost double the size of India’s domestic pharmaceuticals market ($7.7 billion last year).

Other than Lipitor, statins also include other top grossers like AstraZeneca’s Crestor, Merck’s Zocor and Mevacor, amongst others.