NEW DELHI: Sales of medicines fell about 19% in April from a month ago due to disruption caused by the lockdown, imposed to curb the spread of novel coronavirus pandemic, according to preliminary data collated by market research firm AIOCD-AWACS.
The data, which compared stockists’ inventory levels and sales, showed that sales in April were only 81% of levels seen in March.
The decline in sales led to a 30% month-on-month jump in inventories with stockists in April, the data showed. Stockists across the country had inventory worth 43 days at the end of April compared with 33 days' worth a month earlier. “This is the preliminary data.