×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

New drugs witness upsurge in diabetes market

Last Updated 23 July 2016, 18:37 IST

Following the launch of Tenepan, used for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus by Panacea Biotec on July 28, Sanofi-Synthelabo India, in less than a month, announced the launch of its two drugs — Lyxumia (lixisenatide) and Zemiglo (gemigliptin) — for type 2 diabetes patients in India.

Lyxumia is a once daily, non-insulin injectable drug and Zemiglo is a once daily, oral tablet. Both these are prescription drugs and are to be taken only when prescribed by the doctor.

Panacea Biotec during the launch noted that Tenepan aims to improve accessibility of diabetes treatment at an affordable cost and it intends to reach out to  patients with the latest therapeutic treatment.

In March this year, Sun Pharma, one of the leading pharma companies in India, joined hands with the Indian subsidiary of Anglo-Swedish pharma firm AstraZeneca for the distribution of latter’s Forxiga, an innovative type 2 diabetes drug, in the country. Forxiga (dapagliflozin) is AstraZeneca India’s leading diabetes drug. Under the agreement, Sun Pharma will promote and distribute dapagliflozin under the brand name Oxra. AstraZeneca India markets dapagliflozin under the brand name Forxiga and under the terms of the agreement, both companies will promote, market and distribute dapagliflozin in India under different brand names. AstraZeneca will retain the intellectual property rights to dapagliflozin. 

During the same period, US pharma major Eli Lilly too has launched once-a-week diabetes treatment drug under the brand name Trulicity, in the country. The medicine is an injectable medication and belongs to a class called GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide -1) receptor agonists. Trulicity comes in a single-dose pen and is designed to improve the blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. All these product launches both by local and multinational companies were targeted towards type 2 diabetes.

What is type 2 diabetes? According to the world health organisation (WHO), type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes) is caused by the body’s ineffective use of insulin. It often results from excess body weight and physical inactivity.  In addition to type 2 diabetes, there are two other forms of diabetes: type 1 and gestational diabetes. ­

According to WHO report, there are 69.1 million cases of diabetes in 2015 in India and 415 million people worldwide. It also pointed that the number of deaths in adults due to diabetes is 1.03 million and number of cases of diabetes in adults that are undiagnosed is 36.06 million. The report observed that by 2035, it is estimated that 123.5 million people will have diabetes. The alarming fact is that almost half of the existing diabetes patients are unaware that they have diabetes.

Diabetes consumes between 5% and 25% of the income of an average Indian family, according to a report published in Journal of Diabetology, which translates to $2.2 billion a year on diabetes care and treatment. Many patients are unaware of treatment expenses and are not able to plan the budget. In developed countries, diabetes alone claims on average around 8% of total health care budgets. The per capita expenditure on healthcare in India is only 6.4% of average world spending. The direct healthcare cost of diabetes is estimated to be at least $153 billion annually for people in the 20 to 79 age group.

Sharing details about anti-diabetes drugs market in India, Hari Natarajan, vice president -  Business Intelligence – India & Global Audit, AIOCD Pharmasofttech AWACS, said that the market is valued at Rs 8,346 crore growing at 19% as on MAT (moving annual total)  June 2016.

The market is highly fragmented with around 50 active players. The top five players cumulatively account for 50% of this market. Abbott is leading the table of the top 10 players in this space with a market share of 14.79%, followed by USV with 11.93% and Sun Pharma with 9.44%. Indian players such as Lupin, Micro and Mankind Pharmaceuticals are competing with the multinational companies namely – Sanofi, MSD, Novartis and Eli Lilly and Company.

 To provide an alternative and affordable drugs without any side effects to people suffering from type 2 diabetes, Indian scientists working at the two Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratories, National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plant (CIMAP) have developed an anti-diabetes herbal drug — BGR-34. A combo of natural ingredients from plants, the drug is based on ayurveda and it controls type 2 diabetes.

New Delhi-based Aimil Pharmaceuticals has received the technology from NBRI for commercial production and marketing. The company noted that it will offer the drug in the form of tablets and may price Rs 500 for 100 tablets.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rising rapidly worldwide. One of the largest absolute increases is expected to occur in India, with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimating that India alone will have 100 million people with diabetes by 2030. About 90% of these will have type 2 diabetes.

Overall, the number of people living with diabetes has almost quadrupled since 1980 to 422 million adults, with most living in developing countries. Taking serious note of the situation, WHO calls for global action to halt rise in and improve care for people with diabetes. It came up with suggestions as to how to prevent, diagnose and treat diabetes. It observed that a healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use are ways to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes can be treated and its consequences avoided or delayed with diet, physical activity, medication and regular screening and treatment for complications.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 23 July 2016, 17:16 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT