Minimal impact of COVID-19 2.0 on the Indian pharma industry

The impact of Covid-19 on the Indian pharmaceutical companies was relatively limited in FY2021 owing to the inelastic demand for pharmaceutical products and resumption of imports of key input materials from China from March 2020 onwards. However, some impact on volume growth was felt owing to the lockdowns (lesser OPDs/elective surgeries). The revenue growth for ICRA sample of 21 companies remained muted at ~5.8% in FY2021, though the same witnessed a growth on a Y-o-Y basis, despite Covid-19 related disruptions. The growth was also supported by the depreciation of the INR vis-a-vis other foreign currencies, especially the US dollar.

The revenues of sample set from the domestic formulation market witnessed a revenue growth of ~7.8% against a ~3% Y-o-Y growth for the Indian pharma market (IPM). The higher growth for ICRA sample set was due to the relatively higher share of Covid-19 drugs in their portfolio and higher mix of chronic therapies. The revenue growth for the sample set for the US market in FY2021 was ~1.2%, partly supported by ~4.7% Y-o-Y depreciation of the INR against the USD, which in turn partly compensated the impact of the regulatory overhang in the form of warning letters, lack of limited competition product launches and mid-single digit pricing pressure in the base generics business.

The operating profit margins (OPM) for our sample set stood at 22.9% in FY2021, against 20.1% in FY2020 led by lower administrative overheads due to Covid-19 related lockdown. The OPM was also supported by various cost optimisation measures such as lower research & development (R&D) expenses, though adversely impacted by price cuts across the US and Europe.

Based on the trends, Gaurav Jain, Vice President & Sector Head, ICRA, said: “Revenue growth for ICRA sample set is estimated at 7-9% in FY2022 and 8-11% in FY2023, supported by gradual recovery post the initial impact of Covid-19. In FY2022, the sample set is estimated to witness Y-o-Y growth of 6-8% in domestic market formulations, 5-7% in the US business and 8-10% in the European business. The growth will be supported by the inelastic demand for pharmaceutical products and low base of FY2021, though some impact on volume growth will be witnessed due to Covid-19 2.0 related lockdowns. The growth for the US and European markets remain sensitive to depreciation of the INR against the USD/GBP/EUR.”

ICRA expects the R&D expenses to stabilise at current levels and remain in the range of 6.5%-7.5% for its sample set as companies continue to focus on complex generics, first to file opportunities, specialty products which entails higher R&D expenses. Stable investments in R&D to develop such products will support growth and OPM over the next three to four years. However, the ratings agency expects the Covid-19 related improvement in margins to be unsustainable and thus the OPM of the its sample set is likely to revert to pre-Covid levels of 20-21% in FY2022, though will still remain healthy.

The recent introduction of the Production-linked Incentive (PLI) schemes and promotion of bulk drugs park augur well for the IPM in the form of reducing dependence on imports of critical input materials as well as promoting production and exports of value added products such as biosimilars, complex generics, etc., thereby supporting future growth.
MB Bureau