Description
According to CRI, the incidence and case fatality rate of respiratory diseases in China are high in recent years. Following cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and cancers, respiratory diseases rank third among the chronic diseases that cause deaths in China. Therefore, developing drugs for the treatment of respiratory diseases has become an important part of drug research. In the case of respiratory infections (respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis), a large amount of sputum is produced, which requires the application of expectorants. Respiratory mucus regulators are the main expectorants.

After years of development, third-generation expectorant ambroxol has become the most common drug in the clinical treatment of respiratory diseases. The chemical constituent of ambroxol is ambroxol hydrochloride, an active metabolite of Bromhexine. In 1981, ambroxol (trade name: Mucosolvan) developed by German company Boehringer Ingelheim was launched. Compared with the first and second generations of expectorants, ambroxol excels in dissolving mucus. In 1994, Boehringer Ingelheim’s ambroxol entered China. Afterwards, the generic drugs by Chinese companies also came onto the market.

According to CRI’s market research, ambroxol has been growing rapidly since it entered China. From 2005 to 2014, its annual sales value increased from less than CNY 200 million to CNY 1.26 billion, representing a CAGR of 20.9%. From 2015 to 2019, the sales revenue of ambroxol declined in China. By sales value, Boehringer Ingelheim takes up a market share of about 43.5% in the year of 2019. The rest market share is captured by Chinese companies, among which the top market players are Changzhou Siyao Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Shenyang Xinma Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., TIPR Pharmaceutical Responsible Co., Ltd. and Hainan Weikang Pharmaceutical (Qianshan) Co., Ltd. Ambroxol is sold in China in the dosage forms of injections, solutions, syrups, granules, tablets and capsules. Injections dominate the market.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, the ability of Chinese hospitals to receive patients has declined. The decrease in the number of people seeking medical care makes China’s sales and sales of ambroxol show a downward trend in 2020. It is expected that the sales of ambroxol in China in 2020 will drop.
According to CRI, in 2021-2024, the Chinese ambroxol market will gradually recover. It is estimated that the sales of ambroxol in China will reach CNY929.41 million in 2024, and the CAGR will reach 6.0% in 2020-2024. It is estimated that the sales volume of ambroxol in China will reach 220.62 million in 2024, and the CAGR will reach 7.5% in 2020-2024.

Topics Covered:

  • Situation of respiratory diseases in China
  • Sales value and volume of China’s ambroxol 2015-2019
  • Competitive landscape of China’s ambroxol market
  • Prices of ambroxol in China
  • Prices of ambroxol in China by regions and manufacturers
  • Analysis on factors affecting the development of China’s ambroxol market
  • Prospect of China’s ambroxol market from 2020 to 2024