GLP-1 diabetes drugs are being released one after another

Ozempic qwk injection, a rival to Trulicity

First PORybelsus also fitted, Impacts the market for oral drugs such as DPP-4 inhibitors

Novonodisc is expected to change the market for type 2 diabetes treatment as GLP-1 similarity products are released one after another.

 

Novonodisc received domestic approval for Rybelsus (Semaglutide) on the 2nd following Ozempic on the 28th of last month.

 

Ozempic is a long-lasting injection administered once a week, and Rybelsus is a drug that has changed it to an oral drug.

 

Ozempic is expected to emerge as a strong competitive drug for Eli Lilly Trulicity, which currently dominates the GLP-1 analog market.

 

Trulicity is a injection once a week that monopolizes the GLP-1 similarity market worth 50 billion won in Korea.

 

According to IQVIA, a pharmaceutical market research firm, Trulicity posted 49.9 billion won in sales out of 50 billion won in the total GLP-1 similarity market.

 

Trulicity replaced all GLP-1 analogs that had to be administered daily.

 

Sanofi Lyxumia and AstraZeneca Byetta have been withdrawn from the market.

 

Novonodisc's Viktoza only sold 200 million won.

 

Unlike Trulicity, Ozempic has indications for reducing the risk of cardiovascular events.

 

This indication is based on the SUSTAIN 6 study among Ozempic's eight SUSTAIN clinical studies.

 

As a result of conducting clinical trials on 3,297 type 2 diabetes patients with cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular risk factors, the Ozempic group reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events (MACE) compared to the placebo group by 26%.

 

Not only the United States but also domestic academic societies recommend GLP-1 analogs or SGLT-2 inhibitors that have confirmed cardiovascular benefits when choosing type 2 diabetes drugs, so the Ozempic's sa;es is expected to rise further.

 

The world's first oral GLP-1 analog Rybelsus will then join, and changes are expected in the market for oral diabetes treatments such as DPP-4 inhibitors.

 

Rybelsus can be used as a dietary and exercise supplement to improve blood sugar control in adults with insufficient control of type 2 diabetes.

 

It is taken once a day, and there is no need to control the dosage of drugs in patients with renal or hepatic dysfunction or in the elderly.

 

Oral drugs such as DPP-4 inhibitors and SGLT-2 inhibitors are commonly used as many patients are reluctant to inject injections such as insulin and GLP-1 analogs when treating type 2 diabetes.

 

Based on the drug market research agency UBIST, the amount of DPP-4 inhibitor prescriptions reached 151.2 billion won last year.

 

The prescription amount for SGLT-2 inhibitors is around 40.2 billion won.

 

Rybelsus demonstrated superior glycemic effectiveness over SGLT-2 inhibitors and DPP-4 inhibitors through global clinical study PIONEER.

 

In PIONEER 2, 822 patients with type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar is not controlled by metformin were compared with the SGLT-2 inhibitor Empagliflozin group.

 

At 26 weeks, the Empagliflozin group had a 0.9% decrease in glycated hemoglobin levels, while the Rybelsus group had a 1.3% decrease.

 

Subsequently, in a PIONEER 3 study comparing Rybelsus and DPP-4 inhibitor Sitagliptin in patients whose blood sugar is not controlled by combination administration of Metformin and Sulfonylurea, the glycated hemoglobin level in the control group decreased by only 0.8% at 26 weeks.

 

In the Empagliflozin group, glycated hemoglobin levels decreased by 0.9% compared to the baseline, while in the Rybelsus group, they decreased by 1.3%.

 

Subsequently, in a PIONEER 3 study comparing Rybelsus and DPP-4 inhibitor Sitagliptin in patients whose blood sugar is not controlled by combination administration of Metformin and Sulfonylurea, the glycated hemoglobin level in the control group decreased by only 0.8% at 26 weeks.

 

Even globally, Rybelsus is emerging as an emerging competitive drug.

 

Rybelsus, which was released in more than 20 countries starting with the U.S.

 

in September 2019, posted sales of 867.2 billion won last year.

 

Immediately after its launch, it slowed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it quickly increased sales by aggressive marketing last year.

 

Rybelsus is expected to change depending on the price of Rybelsus and the results of CVOT confirming the ongoing cardiovascular benefits.