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Hypertension, diabetes drugs among top-selling medicines at Janaushadhi kendras this year
Summary
- Drugs to treat gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases, painkillers and anti-diabetic medicines recorded the maximum average sales this year in Janaushadhi kendras
New Delhi: Drugs to treat lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes were among the top-selling medicines at the government's generic pharmacies across the country this year, an official said.
Telmisartan tablets to treat high blood pressure averaged monthly sales of about 1.41 million strips at the kendras run under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), the official aware of the matter said. About 1.07 million strips of atorvastatin 10 mg tablets to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease were sold monthly.
About 1.24 million strips of the fixed-dose combination of pantoprazole and domperidone to manage acidity, also known as Pan-D, were sold every month. Sales of a key anti-diabetic fixed-dose combination drug, Glimepiride 2 mg + Metformin Hydrochloride 500 mg (sustained release), reached 829,000 strips every month.
Also, 400,000 strips of amlodipine and atenolol to prevent hypertension and angina were sold monthly.
“Drugs used for managing gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases, painkillers and anti-diabetic medicines have recorded the maximum average sales this year in our kendras across the country," said Ravi Dadhich, CEO of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), the agency implementing the PMBJP. “In addition to this, surgical and medical consumables—for example – Janaushadhi Suvidha (sanitary napkins) are also the topmost selling products."
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The government set up these Janaushadhi kendras to make quality generic medicines available at affordable rates for everyone. There were 13,822 kendras in the country as of 30 September, according to the website of the Department of Pharmaceuticals. The plan is to increase their count to 25,000 by 2026.
Affordable quality drugs
“PMBJP is successful because we studied what exactly our customer wants. We made quality drugs available round the clock in our stores, ensuring product diversity, quality assurance and price affordability for customers," Dadhich said.
The PMBI has been given the mandate to ensure the availability of quality drugs at affordable prices at Janaushadhi kendras for all citizens to reduce their medical expenses.
Also Read | Govt’s generic pharmacy stores to stock top 200 medicines round the clock
The PMBJP’s product basket comprises 2,047 medicines and 300 surgical devices covering all major therapeutic groups – cardiovascular, anti-cancer, anti-diabetics, anti-infective, anti-allergic, and gastrointestinal – and nutraceuticals. These generic medicines are 50-90% cheaper than their branded equivalents. Almost 1 million people visit these kendras every day.
PMBJP’s sales crossed ₹1,000 crore in October, an improvement from the previous year when this target was met in December 2023.
The government had set a minimum stocking mandate for Janaushadhi kendras to keep the 200 most-used drugs, Mint reported in June.
In the past 10 years, the number of Janaushadhi kendras has shot up to more than 14,000 kendras covering almost all the districts in the country from only 80 kendras in 2014.
