The DPP4i+SGLT2i diabetes combination drug market

Cumulative prescriptions since launch in May: 3.6 billion

Qtern>Zemidapa>Esgliteo

Qtern>Zemidapa> Esgliteo, Sugadapa product photo (clockwise from top left)

The market for diabetes two-drug combination drugs that combine DPP-4 inhibitors and SGLT-2 inhibitors appears to be growing slowly despite the expansion of combination benefits at the beginning of the year.

 

Since last May, two-ingredient combination drugs have appeared on the market one after another, but the cumulative prescriptions for related products in the five months until last September amounted to only 3.6 billion won.

 

The pharmaceutical industry is paying attention to the possibility that the market will expand, focusing on generic drugs, as the combination drug of dapagliflozin + sitagliptin has been released since the Januvia patent expired in September.

 

The cumulative prescription amount for 5 months: Qtern 1.1 billion won > Zemidapa 1 billion won > Esgliteo 800 million won.

 

According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical market research firm, on the 23rd, the cumulative prescription amount for the two-drug combination of DPP-4 inhibitor and SGLT-2 inhibitor is 3.6 billion won.

 

This market was formed last May with the launch of LG Chemical's Zemidapa, AstraZeneca's Qtern, Boehringer Ingelheim's Esgliteo, MSD's Stegluzan, and Chong Kun Dang's Exiglu-S.

 

In June, Donga ST Sugadapa joined.

 

These are all companies that possess original drugs in the DPP-4 inhibitor series.

 

They began releasing related products last April when the health authorities expanded the combination coverage of diabetes treatments to the 'DPP-4 inhibitor + SGLT-2 inhibitor + Metformin' triple therapy.

 

At that time, the patent for Forxiga, an SGLT-2 inhibitor type diabetes treatment, expired.

 

They developed and released a combination drug by combining their original DPP-4 inhibitor drug with Dapagliflozin or their own SLGT-2 inhibitor drug.

 

In the case of Chong Kun Dang, as it was about to acquire the domestic distribution rights to Januvia from MSD, it was able to release a combination drug of sitagliptin and Dapagliflozin before Januvia's patent expired.

 

Despite the expansion of concurrent benefits, the related market appears to be growing slowly.

 

By month, it is 300 million won in May, 400 million won in June, 600 million won in July, 900 million won in August, and 1.3 billion won in September.

 

Based on the cumulative prescription amount, AstraZeneca Qtern is the highest at 1.1 billion won, followed by LG Chem's Zemidapa (1 billion won), Boehringer Ingelheim's Esgliteo ( 800 million won), Chong Kun Dang's 'Exiglu-S' ( 300 million won), and Dong-A ST's Sugadapa (200 million won ), etc.

 

After Januvia’s patent expires in September, generics enter the market… Will there be a turnaround after the fourth quarter?

 

In the pharmaceutical industry, as DPP-4 inhibitors and SGLT-2 inhibitors have shown high prescription performance in the existing diabetes treatment market, predictions have been raised that combination drugs combining the two ingredients will also rapidly expand the market size.

 

Looking only at prescription performance through the third quarter, it is evaluated that the performance is somewhat below expectations.

 

In fact, the prescription performance of dapagliflozin expanded very rapidly during this period.

 

In the case of dapagliflozin single drug, prescription sales amounted to 20.5 billion won in the third quarter of this year.

 

Compared to the third quarter of last year, it increased by 47% in one year.

 

The price of the Dapagliflozin + Metformin combination increased by 31% from 11.7 billion won to 15.3 billion won during the same period.

 

The key is the prescription performance after the fourth quarter when many combination drugs of dapagliflozin and sitagliptin will be released.

 

This is because, with the expiration of Januvia's patent last month, combination drugs combining the two ingredients are entering the market one after another.

 

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, to date, 89 pharmaceutical companies have received approval for two-ingredient combination drugs.

 

Among these, 14 pharmaceutical companies released products last September, excluding Chong Kun Dang, which holds the distribution rights to Januvia.

 

Many of the remaining 80 pharmaceutical companies are expected to release products after the fourth quarter.