India's antidepressant market is expanding in value, but the latest sales figures offer no straightforward answer to whether more patients are receiving treatment or achieving better outcomes. PharmaTrac data show that the antidepressant and mood-drug market grew 8.63% to Rs 2,842.1 crore in the 12 months ended September 2026, up from Rs 2,616.3 crore a year earlier. However, unit sales declined 0.76% during the same period. The divergence highlights why rising market value should not automatically be interpreted as increasing treatment coverage.

Pricing changes and shifts in product mix may also contribute. Escitalopram combined with clonazepam remained the largest product, with sales rising 10.51% to Rs 710.4 crore. Sertraline recorded 23.45% growth to Rs 208.4 crore, while desvenlafaxine increased 20.45% to Rs 138.7 crore. Duloxetine sales grew 8% to Rs 210.9 crore, whereas…