Sale of antidepressants is on a new high, courtesy recession Markets are down and sales are dipping. But the pharmaceutical industry has found a silver lining in this 
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Representative photo</td></tr></tbody></table>depressing cloud. The sale of anti-depressant drugs has gone up by almost Rs 70 crore as compared with the same period a year ago! If sales figures of pharmaceutical brands in the last financial quarter (October to December) are any indication, people, mostly young professionals, are popping the happy pill to beat the meltdown stress. But these can be addictive. "In the last three months there has been an increase of 20 to 25 per cent in the sale of anti-depressant drugs. Mostly because recession is leading to extreme stress and professionals are depending on these to stay afloat," said head of Protect Department, CIPLA, Vijay Channa. The worst-hit are those employed in the BPO sector and in multinational companies that have been facing the global slump for a longer period. Sameer Kumar (name changed on request), a resident of Gurgaon, lost his high-paying job with a British telecom major when the company shut its India office. "This is the harshest time of my life. My savings have dwindled and I am worried I will fail to provide the best to my new-born son," said Kumar. Though Kumar has not yet taken to anti-depressants, he has withdrawn into an emotional shell. "I am severely depressed but not on medication. However, if I don't get a job soon, I may have to take these drugs to fight the situation," he said. According to IPCA Labs, a well-known pharma company, the market share of anti-depressants has got a sudden boost. "In December, 2007 anti-depressants had a total market worth of Rs 280 crore which went up to Rs 350 crore in December 2008," said Shiv Kumar M, general manager, Marketing, neuro-psychiatric division, IPCA Labs. u00a0 "In the last quarter we have noticed an increased consumption of these drugs among people in the age group of 30-40. The buyers are mostly from the BPO industry," said an area sales manager of IPCA Labs. Doctors too agree that the sale of anti-depressants and neuro-psychiatric medicines has gone up by more than 20 per cent. Dr Sameer Malhotra, a psychiatrist at the Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, says that about 30 per cent of his patients everyday complain of depression directly or indirectly caused by the recession. So how do these drugs work? "Anti-depressants produce neuro-chemicals like dopamine and serotonin in the brain. These lighten a person's mood," said Dr Smita Deshpande, HoD, Psychiatry, Ram Manohar Lohia. But doctors warn that on regular and unprescribed use, a person may become addicted to them. "Addiction of antidepressants can lead to various ailments like obesity. They should only be had in cons- ultation with a doctor," added Deshpande. 
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<td>High sales</td></tr>
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<td>Paroxetine, Escitalopram &amp; Clozepam are easily available happy pills</td></tr></tbody></table>

Sale of antidepressants is on a new high, courtesy recession

Recession boost to antidepressants' sale

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Recession boost to antidepressants' sale

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