August 18: The overall demand for medicines has been declining in Nepal with the surge of Covid-19 infection.

Drug manufacturers say that the demand for medicine has declined because patients have stopped visiting hospitals and private clinics due to fear of coronavirus transmission.

Pharmacists claim that the demand for medicines has come down by up to 70 percent. According to the pharmaceutical companies, the sales of over-the-counter drugs that can be bought without a doctor's prescription have dropped dramatically.

The demand of medicines particularly used for healing wounds, dermatological diseases, painkillers and antibiotics has declined mostly.

Deepak Dahal, former president of the Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Nepal (APPON) informed that the sales of antibiotics have dropped by almost 40 percent.

At present, the demand for medicines other than those for chronic diseases has decreased, says Sitaram Ghimire, president of the Nepal Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs Association.

"However, the demand for medicines for chronic diseases remains the same. The demand for medicines for chronic diseases including asthma, cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, hypertension and thyroid has not decreased,” informed Ghimire.

He added that the demand for psychiatric drugs has increased drastically due to the impact of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown.