Mumbai: India’s heart disease burden is evident not only from the spate of heart attacks among young celebrities in the past five years, but also in the over-50% rise in cardiac medication sale in the same period.
Be they lipid-lowering drugs, heart-failure medications or anti-anginal treatments, cardiac medications sell more than drugs meant for any complications, including the gastro-intestinal tract, infections or diabetes.
According to June report of Pharmarack, which analyses sales figures from 17 prominent Indian pharmaceutical companies representing more than half of the sector, sales of cardiac medicines rose from Rs 1,761 crore in June 2021 to Rs 2,645 crore by June 2025. There has been a consistent yearly growth rate of 10.7% in this sector, showed the report.
Experts offer a slew of reasons for this rise, ranging from better awareness of heart diseases, new parameters for measuring hypertension as well as the increasing population of senior citizens. “There is no doubt that cardiovascular diseases are on the rise, but at the same time, access to care and diagnostic tools has improved,” said Dr Ajay Mahajan, head of the cardiology department at KEM Hospital.
Centre’s data suggests that 63% of total deaths in the country were due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) accounting for 27%.
Dr Suraj Nagre, associate professor at JJ Hospital’s cardiovascular and thoracic surgery department, offers another reason: “A few years ago, the threshold for hypertension was a reading of 130-140. Medical guidelines have since changed and even readings above 120 are considered hypertensive.”
While heart care until a few years back mainly meant lipid-lowering medications, the prescriptions for other drugs meant to control unstable heart rhythm or heart failure have also increased.
“Cardiovascular medications are interrelated because they target different but connected pathways of disease,” said senior cardiac surgeon Dr Ramakanta Panda.
“For example, anti-hypertensives lower blood pressure to reduce the strain on arteries and the heart. Lipid-lowering drugs like statins reduce cholesterol helping prevent arterial blockages. Anti-anginals improve blood flow to the heart muscle, relieving chest pain caused by narrowed arteries. These medications are often prescribed together,” said Dr Panda.
Referring to the frequent reports of cardiac arrest deaths among common people as well as celebrities and fitness enthusiasts, KEM cardiologist Dr Charan Lanjewar said underlying factors are almost always involved. “There’s a lack of data to identify a single cause in many cardiac arrest cases. The reasons are multifactorial, but lifestyle, stress, and consumption habits play a vital role,” Dr Lanjewar said.
The aging population is more prone to heart conditions. Senior cardiologist Dr Akshay Mehta said, “The lifespan of the Indian population has increased and with a growing aging population, we are seeing a higher incidence of heart disease. Along with rising incidence, we also have better diagnostic tools now.”
