Author(s): Saurabh Kumar Banerjee, Shefali Karmore and Nikita Choudhary
Brand existence of prescription medicines is considered one of the pharmaceutical industry's crucial assets in its marketing strategy, as it drives the success of the organization. During the year 2024, 485 new brands were introduced in the anti-diabetic segment in India. Hence there is a fierce competition in the pharma market for maintaining the legacy of the brands. An extensive literature search revealed that there was a dearth of scientific studies related to market assessment of brands of anti-diabetic FDC prevailing in Nagpur city. Thus, the study aimed to explore diabetes medication trends across the East, West, North and South zones of Nagpur. By analysing prescription patterns, patient demographics, and market drivers, this research seeks to provide actionable insights in formulating marketing strategies for pharmaceutical companies and policymakers. The current study was prospective, observational cross-sectional research aimed to understand market trends about the prescribing brands in anti-diabetic drug therapy being used in the Nagpur city of Maharashtra, India. The study was conducted through personal visits to a total of 200 pharmacies spread across East, West, North and South of Nagpur city. The anti-diabetic brands prescribed were observed and captured across 50 pharmacies in each zone during January to February 2024 and the data was analysed on MS office Excel to derive the insights. The most prescribed anti-diabetic brand in Eastern Nagpur was Glycomet 500 SR Tablet (Metformin 500mg), The most prescribed anti-diabetic brand in Western Nagpur was Glyciphage SR 1gm Tablet [(Metformin (1000mg)]. In the Northern Nagpur the most prescribed anti-diabetic brand was Janumet XR CP Tablet [Sitagliptin (100mg) + Metformin (1000mg]. In Southern Nagpur the most prescribed anti-diabetic brand was Istamet XR Tablet [Sitagliptin (100mg) + Metformin (1000mg] The market assessment study of the Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern part of Nagpur city revealed that the prescription base for the antidiabetic brands was more prominent in the Western (42%) and Northern (41%) part. In the Southern part of the Nagpur City the prescription base for the antidiabetic brands were observed at an optimum level at 33% and in the Eastern Nagpur the prescription base for the antidiabetic brand was lowest at 14%. Based on the findings of the current study it can be concluded that market assessment studies based on the prescription analysis of the brands being prescribed in a certain geographical location are a valuable tool for formulating an effective marketing strategy.