QYOBO API1000 Price Index - 59% of APIs Decreased in Prices in 2026 (to Date)

The QYOBO API1000 Index, tracking the 1,000 most commonly traded APIs, shows that 59% of APIs declined in price in 2026 YTD (through August 28) versus 2025, with a median drop of 15%. 29% recorded increases, at a median of +15%, while 12% remained stable.

Compared with QYOBO’s previous analysis covering 2025 versus 2024, price pressure has broadened and deepened: the share of declining APIs rose from 55% to 59%, the median decline steepened from 11% to 15%, and the share of APIs with price increases fell from 32% to 29%. Semaglutide showed the sharpest reversal between the two periods, swinging from +13% to -31%, while Tirzepatide’s decline eased from -55% to -32% and antibiotic intermediates such as 6-APA (-30% then, -26% now) continued to fall.

Price trends of selected substances within key segments based on QYOBO platform data:

OTC APIs: Prices declined across most of the selected substances. Cetirizine and Phenylephrine declined by 16% each, while Benzocaine declined by 13%. Loratadine and Bisacodyl moved in the opposite direction, with prices increasing by 2% and 10%, respectively.

Biologic & peptide APIs: Prices declined across eight of the nine selected substances, led by Octreotide (-57%) and Desmopressin (-34%). All three GLP-1 agonists declined: Tirzepatide (-32%), Semaglutide (-31%) and Liraglutide (-22%). This is a notable change for Semaglutide, which had increased 13% in our previous 2024-2025 analysis. Moreover, generic semaglutide products expanded across multiple markets in 2026, including India, Canada and Brazil. In contrast to the declines across most of the selected biologics and peptide APIs, Glatiramer increased by 53%.

Intermediates: Prices declined across seven of the eight selected substances. 6-APA declined by 26%, SMIA by 22% and Levofloxacin carboxylic acid by 17%. In January 2026, India also introduced a minimum import price covering 6-APA and selected penicillin-class inputs. Erythromycin thiocyanate was stable at 0%.

Excipients: Prices showed a mixed trend. Gelatin (-19%), Acesulfame potassium (-17%), Saccharin (-16%), Xanthan gum (-15%) and Lactose (-14%) recorded declines in the selected set. Microcrystalline cellulose (+9%), Calcium hypophosphite (+18%) and Sucrose (+28%) increased.
Compared with our previous 2024-2025 analysis, Acesulfame potassium moved from +19% to -17%, while Calcium hypophosphite moved from -11% to +18%.

Trusted market prices and AI-based forecasts across 10,000+ APIs, intermediates, key starting materials, and excipients – with granular filters including country-level insights – are exclusively available on the QYOBO platform.