Medical supplies in India have seen a sharp rise in the last two years, according to an analysis by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The ICMR report published on Monday revealed that over 1,200 new medicines were introduced for arthritis in the country last year, bringing the total to more than 2,500 medicines.
It also said the number of new arthritis drugs has been rising steadily for the last four years, with a surge in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
In 2018, medicines for arthritis rose to 1,907, which represented almost 25 per cent of all new medicines.
The ICMR said this was a significant increase over the number approved for the disease in 2016.
This year saw an increase in arthritis treatment, with the number getting approved for arthritis doubling to 2,858 in 2018 from 1,897 in 2017.
The report also said that the growth of arthritis in India has been fuelled by a rise in deaths from the disease.
In 2017, about 1.2 lakh people died from the condition, which accounted for around 15 per cent, the report said.