Dedicated cardiac care hospitals and nursing homes have been mushrooming in the country, thanks to the high incidence of cardiovascular disorders (CVD). With such spurt in cardiac centres, there is a steady rise in the number of angioplasty being done to maintain and sustain them while the patient could have been managed medically without that intervention.

Recent studies have shown that as much as 40 per cent growth in CVD has taken place over the past year in Karnataka. While many cardiologists have cases to prove that medical management is on the brink of decline and cardiac intervention is on the rise in India, pharma companies opined that there has been no decline in their sales of drugs. At the same time the growth in the cardiology segment has not been phenomenally high which is now 15 per cent as against 35 per cent in the past.

Inspired by the money spinning nature of the situation, many cardiac specialists today are advising and conducting angioplasty even in conditions where drugs would suffice and angioplasty could be postponed, stated a section of cardiologists who are attending the 56th annual cardiology conference being held in Bangalore organised by the Cardiology Society of India. (CSI).

At the conference which has around 100 exhibitors including pharmaceuticals and medical equipment manufacturers from across the country, drug companies are looking at growth through innovative customer relationship management (CRM).

Amongst the drugs, statins -atrovastatin and simavastatin have gained enormous momentum not only for their lipid altering mechanism but also because of the anti-inflammatory properties which offer special cardiac protection, stated, a pharma consultant. Today the statins form 20 per cent of the total cardiology market, he added.

Karnataka holds 6 per cent share of the total cardiology market amounting to Rs 120 crore when the national market is valued at Rs 2000 crore. The major players from the state are AstraZeneca, Micro Labs and Bal Pharma. Major cardiac brands in Karnataka are Imdur and Ramace of AstraZeneca, Amlong, Simvas & Avas of Micro Labs and Servace of Bal Pharma which are all from these Bangalore-based companies.