With more than 70 million diabetic patients, India is known as the diabetes capital of the world. On top of that, the country is on its way to reach 200 million pre-diabetics as well. Driven by the increasing number of diabetes patients in the country, the Indian diabetes care market is clocking in impressive growth figures.
A recent study conducted by Redcore, a specialist when it comes to quick turnaround primary research highlights the growth of the diabetes care market. The study found that the market is estimated to reach USD 60 billion within the next decade. This upward growth trajectory of the market does not bode well for the population. In fact, it should be a great area of concern. That said, many companies are coming up with more effective anti–diabetic drugs that can help diabetes patients.Let’s analyze some of the most important developments happening in the diabetes drugs market and see how it will improve diabetes patient care.
Introduction of Oral Semaglutide This is the first oral glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP – 1) receptor agonist product. It is effective against the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Danish Drug maker Novo Nordisk has recently launched their Oral Semaglutide in India. This will have a price of INR 315 per pill. Or it will cost nearly INR 10000 for an entire month of treatment. Vikrant Shrotriya who holds the office of Corporate Vice President and Managing Director, Novo Nordisk India stated that they have kept it at the similar price range of injectable GLP-1. He went on to say that the company has also followed the price equilibrium band.
India will be the sixth country where the pill is commercially introduced. The introduction of this pill is a promising addition when it comes to treating diabetes. Also, until now, the drug was only available in the form of an injection. Formulating the drug into a pill makes it more convenient for the patients. One of the other biggest advantages of the pill is that it targets six out of eight pathophysiological defects of type-2 diabetes. This is more than any other class of anti-diabetes medications. During clinical trials, the drug has also shown to decrease obesity as well as cardiovascular risk reduction.
Improving Glycaemic Control in Adult Diabetic Patients Indian multinational pharmaceutical company, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals becomes the first to introduce Thiazolidinedione Lobeglitazone in the country. This is especially effective for treating type 2 diabetes in adults. The product contains lobeglitazone and it is to be taken once every day under prescription.
This will help in improving glycaemic control in adult diabetic patients. The company has got their approval from Drug Controller General of India and the product will be branded as LOBG. It is a great treatment option when it comes to dealing with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes. The company also added that this innovative product will be affordable.
Affordable Drugs for Treating Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Alkem Laboratories, India has come up with a unique anti-diabetic drug. They have introduced a triple drug fixed dose combination (FDC) of Dapagliflozin, Sitagliptin and Metformin. The brand name of the product is Dapanorm Trio. It is also the first time such a product is launched in India. The product is priced very affordably and is significantly cheaper than the combined cost of innovator drugs. It will play a crucial role in reducing HbA1c in uncontrolled type 2 diabetic patients.
It will also improve patient compliance. This is achieved primarily by reducing the pill burden. Other than that, the product offers a plethora of other advantages as well. This includes cardiac and renal benefits with better tolerability among elderly diabetic patients. It also has other benefits such as better pancreatic beta cell protection and the lowest risk of hypoglycemia.
Oral Solution for Better Convenience Zydus Lifesciences, India recently announced the launch of two new products in India under the brand names of Sitaglyn and Siglyn. These two products are for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. These products are available at an affordable cost and because these are oral solutions, they offer better convenience for the patients. This in turn will result in better compliance as well. On top of that, the drug even offers best-in-class HbA1c goals and that too with proven safety profile. These two products will be the generic version of the company’s Sitagliptin which they say is the gold standard in the DPP4i (Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor) category. It also holds a significant share in the global market. Aside from innovations happening in the development of anti-diabetic drugs, significant progress has also been made in drug delivery systems.
American company Insulet and their unique product - Omnipod 5 is a prime example which shows some of the innovations happening in the space. This wearable product is an automated insulin delivery patch system. It can be controlled through a dedicated handheld controller or a secure app on the user’s smartphone. The fact that the product is tubeless makes it even more unique. While these aforementioned innovations are a positive sign, continued developments in both anti-diabetic drugs and drug delivery systems are paramount for offering more effective and convenient diabetes treatment for the patients.
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