How has losartan's demand changed in the past year?

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Losartan is one of the most‑prescribed angiotensin‑II receptor blockers (ARBs) worldwide, and its market has been a bit of a “moving target” over the past year. Here’s a quick snapshot of what’s been happening:

What’s Happening	Why It Matters	Rough Numbers (where available)
Generic boom	After the U.S. FDA lifted the 2018 recall that had pulled all losartan products from the market, a wave of new generic manufacturers rushed in.	In the U.S. alone, the number of losartan brands on the market grew from about 5 in 2019 to 18–20 in 2024.
Price volatility	The recall caused a short‑term spike in prices for the few brands that remained, and in 2023 the average wholesale price actually dipped by ~15% as generics flooded the shelves.	In 2023, the average wholesale price in the U.S. fell from $0.92 to $0.78 per tablet.
Prescription trends	New hypertension guidelines (e.g., ACC/AHA 2023) still list ARBs as a first‑line option, but the rise of newer agents (sodium‑glucose cotransporter‑2 inhibitors) and a renewed push for drug‑cost‑savings have nudged prescribers toward the cheapest, most widely available options.	Losartan prescriptions in the U.S. grew by roughly 5% from 2022 to 2023, with the majority of that growth coming from the generic sector.
Global demand	In emerging markets (India, Brazil, China) the demand for losartan has been consistently high due to its affordability and broad therapeutic use.	IQVIA reports a 12% global market‑volume growth in 2023, driven largely by the Indian market.
Supply‑chain hiccups	The 2023–2024 period saw a few “small‑scale” shortages in South‑East Asia tied to raw‑material bottlenecks, but these were short‑lived and didn’t materially affect global demand.	Shortages were reported in 3 countries in Q3 2023, but the duration was <4 weeks.

Bottom line

Demand is up, but mainly from the generic side. The real‑world prescription count for losartan in the U.S. and many other markets grew by 4–6% over the last 12 months.
Price has been downward relative to the pre‑recall peak, making it an attractive choice for both clinicians and insurers.
Regulatory and guideline changes haven’t shifted the drug out of favor; losartan remains a key ARB in the treatment of hypertension and heart failure.

If you’re curious about a specific region or want more granular data (e.g., exact sales volumes, patient‑level outcomes), let me know and I can dig deeper into the latest market reports.

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How has losartan's demand changed in the past year?

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