Jennifer Mendoza
Research expert covering health, pharma and medtech
Cardiovascular disease in India - statistics & facts
Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs), also known as silent killers, are the leading cause of disease burden and mortality worldwide. In developed countries, the increase in burden of CVDs took place over several decades due to a prolonged period of epidemiological transition. This refers to the shift from agrarian to industrialized societies. In India however, due to the rapid rate at which the economy developed post-independence, CVDs and their risk factors have spiked within a very short time span. Consequently, they have become the leading cause of mortality within the category of non-communicable diseases. The prevalence of CVDs is known to be higher in the urban areas as opposed to the rural areas.
Increasing prevalence of heart related disorders can be attributed to increasing population, ageing demographics, genetic predisposition, and behavioral risk factors. These include factors such as lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, chronic stress, use of tobacco and excessive consumption of alcohol. The long-term effects of such risk factors may present themselves primarily in for form of raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose and lipids, and overweight and obesity. Some of the common complications that may result from these risk factors are strokes and cardiac arrests. The economic impact of deaths resulting from CVDs have been of major concern in the country. According to estimates, elimination of non-communicable diseases would result in a higher GDP of up to 10 percent.
Addressing risk factors is known to prevent most CVDs. Prophylactic measures to mitigate these include adopting healthier lifestyle changes, administration of correct medication, and medical procedures or surgery. The cardiac market is broadly categorized into treatments for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and thrombosis. The most common medicines prescribed to heart patients undergoing preventive, palliative or post-operative care are anti-hypertensive medications, anti-dyslipidemia and anti-thrombotic. Anti-hypertensives allude to medications that lower blood pressure, while anti-dyslipidemia medicines help regulate lipid levels. Anti-thrombotic medicines on the other hand work to prevent formation of blood clots.
Cardiac therapies have displaced anti-infectives to become India’s leading therapy within its pharmaceutical market. The Indian cardiac market outperformed the Indian pharmaceutical market by 200 basis points. Basis point is a universal measurement system where one basis point is equivalent to 1/100th of 1 percent. Hypertension drugs today form 65 percent of the cardiac market. Similarly, combination drugs and patented molecules have grown more rapidly than the pharmaceutical market. Estimates based on key parameters such as historical performance of the company, market coverage, capacity to build brands and portfolio management indicate, that Lupin, Glenmark, JB chemicals and Cipla are among the leading players in the cardiac market and likely to gain significant market share in the years to come.
Increasing prevalence of heart related disorders can be attributed to increasing population, ageing demographics, genetic predisposition, and behavioral risk factors. These include factors such as lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, chronic stress, use of tobacco and excessive consumption of alcohol. The long-term effects of such risk factors may present themselves primarily in for form of raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose and lipids, and overweight and obesity. Some of the common complications that may result from these risk factors are strokes and cardiac arrests. The economic impact of deaths resulting from CVDs have been of major concern in the country. According to estimates, elimination of non-communicable diseases would result in a higher GDP of up to 10 percent.
Addressing risk factors is known to prevent most CVDs. Prophylactic measures to mitigate these include adopting healthier lifestyle changes, administration of correct medication, and medical procedures or surgery. The cardiac market is broadly categorized into treatments for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and thrombosis. The most common medicines prescribed to heart patients undergoing preventive, palliative or post-operative care are anti-hypertensive medications, anti-dyslipidemia and anti-thrombotic. Anti-hypertensives allude to medications that lower blood pressure, while anti-dyslipidemia medicines help regulate lipid levels. Anti-thrombotic medicines on the other hand work to prevent formation of blood clots.
Cardiac therapies have displaced anti-infectives to become India’s leading therapy within its pharmaceutical market. The Indian cardiac market outperformed the Indian pharmaceutical market by 200 basis points. Basis point is a universal measurement system where one basis point is equivalent to 1/100th of 1 percent. Hypertension drugs today form 65 percent of the cardiac market. Similarly, combination drugs and patented molecules have grown more rapidly than the pharmaceutical market. Estimates based on key parameters such as historical performance of the company, market coverage, capacity to build brands and portfolio management indicate, that Lupin, Glenmark, JB chemicals and Cipla are among the leading players in the cardiac market and likely to gain significant market share in the years to come.
