India pharma market enters US tariff transition with strong domestic growth: Report
New Delhi, July 23
India's pharmaceutical market is entering the proposed two-year transition period before the United States' planned tariffs on imported generic medicines with broad-based domestic growth momentum, according to an Equirus Securities report, which highlighted strong demand across therapies and leading drugmakers.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that all generic drugs imported into the United States will continue to attract zero per cent tariffs for two years from August 1, 2026, after which tariffs will rise by up to 200 per cent over two consecutive years.
Against this backdrop, the report said the Indian Pharmaceutical Market (IPM) posted its strongest monthly performance in more than two years in June, with 16 per cent year-on-year growth, while first-quarter FY27 growth accelerated to 13.5 per cent year-on-year.
"Jun'26 marked the IPM's strongest monthly performance in over two years, with growth accelerating to 16% yoy, driving 1QFY27 growth of 13.5% yoy and reinforcing the resilience of the domestic formulation market," the report said.
According to the report, all three growth drivers strengthened during the period, with volume growth improving to 3.4 per cent, price-led growth at 4.6 per cent and new product introductions contributing 3.1 per cent, indicating stronger demand alongside an improving product pipeline.
The report also pointed to broad-based growth across the industry. All ten major therapy segments recorded double-digit growth in June, led by cardiac and anti-diabetic therapies, while anti-diabetic treatments became the third-largest therapy segment, supported by rising GLP-1 adoption. Chronic therapies continued to outperform, while acute therapies also recovered, signalling a more balanced expansion in the domestic market.
Among major pharmaceutical companies, Torrent Pharma and Zydus recorded around 20 per cent growth in June, followed by Cipla, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Lupin and Sun Pharma, all of which outpaced the overall market. The report said the trend continued during the first quarter of FY27, with chronic-focused, volume-driven companies remaining the key outperformers.
Equirus said the combination of improving demand, stronger product launches and broad participation across therapies and company's points to a resilient domestic formulations market as the industry enters a period of evolving global trade conditions.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is encouraging news, especially for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart conditions that are so common in India now. GLP-1 adoption rising is a good sign for affordable treatments. But I'm worried about the US tariffs—if Trump's plan goes through, our pharma companies might struggle. We need stronger domestic R&D to reduce reliance on exports.
Finally some good news for Indian pharma! 🥳 The domestic market is growing strong across all therapies—cardiac, diabetes, acute—it's a balanced recovery. Torrent and Zydus doing 20% growth is impressive. But let's be realistic: US tariffs could be a big blow. Companies need to invest in biosimilars and specialty drugs now, not just generics.
As someone working in healthcare, this report makes me optimistic. The 13.5% Q1 growth shows domestic demand is real, not just pandemic bump. But I disagree with Equirus' rosy view—the US tariff transition is a sword hanging over our heads. We should already be negotiating trade deals or building new markets in Africa, Southeast Asia. Chahe late ho, shuru toh karo.
Good news for pharma stocks! But honestly, I'm more concerned about patients. If US tariffs hit, companies might raise drug prices in India to compensate. The report says volume growth is only 3.4%—that's modest. We need policy support for domestic manufacturing under PLI scheme to become truly self-reliant. Make in India for pharma!
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