Depression is the fourth leading disease in the world and is expected to become the first by 2030. However, the medical prevention and treatment of depression in China is still of low recognition rate, which is less than 20% of Chinese hospitals at all levels. Moreover, less than 20% of Chinese patients suffering from depression have received related medication.

According to the WHO, more than 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression, with a growth rate of about 18% in the last decade.

As is estimated, by 2021, the number of patients with depression in China is about 95 million. But its underdiagnosis rate of depression is over 90% due primarily to the low popularization rate of mental illness science, cultural discrimination against sufferers, the backwardness of psychiatric medical technology and insufficient medical resources.

Currently, the treatment for depression is mainly antidepressant medication, supplemented by psychotherapy or physical therapy.

Escitalopram is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class that is mainly used to treat depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder or anxiety disorder with agoraphobia.

Escitalopram was originally developed by H.Lundbeck A/S under the trade name of Lexapro^®, which was first marketed in Sweden in 2001 and then in China in 2005 (distributed in China by Xi’an Janssen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.). Since 2008, generic drugs of escitalopram have been marketed by local Chinese companies.

Due to its high efficacy and safety, escitalopram entered the Chinese market earlier. and since it can treat depression and symptoms like panic in patients with anxiety disorders, escitalopram is widely used for clinical applications with great market potential.

According to CRI’s market research, as a result of the impact of COVID-19 and the decreasing average price, the sales value of China’s escitalopram market in 2020 declined to approximately CNY329 million (USD50.6 million), with a CAGR of about -1.9% from 2016 to 2020.

Since H. Lundbeck A/S’s Lexapro is more expensive than generic drugs in the Chinese market, its market share has been declining, with a market share of around 66% in 2020 and is expected to continue to decline from 2021 to 2025. Companies with a relatively large market share of escitalopram in China include Sichuan Kelun Pharmaceutical, Jewim Pharmaceutical, Hunan Dongting Pharmaceutical and Jinhua CONBA.

CRI expects that the number of depression patients in China will keep growing in the future due to increasing stresses of everyday life and changing interpersonal relationships resulted from factors like national economic development and rising urbanization. Suffering from depression is unfortunate, but if timely treatment is given, patients are able to return to normal life and work.

According to CRI’s prediction, thanks to the development of China’s economy and the transformation of social attitudes, people will gradually be aware of the hazards of depression and more patients will be willing to seek medical treatment as well as take antidepressant medication. From 2021 to 2025, it is likely to see a recovery increase in the market size of escitalopram in China.

Topics Covered:

• Impact of COVID-19 on China’s Escitalopram Market
• Development Environment of Escitalopram in China
• Sales Volume of Escitalopram in China
• Sales Volume and Value of Escitalopram in China by Region
• Major Escitalopram Manufacturers in China and Their Market Shares
• Sales Price of Escitalopram in China
• Major Escitalopram Producers in China
• Prospects of China’s Escitalopram Market, 2021-2025

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