The size of the DPP-4 diabetes Rx market is decreasing

Total Rx amount decreased by 2.2% to 151.2 billion won in the first quarter

Multinational companies' products fall all at once out of 6 products worth more than 10 billion won

LG Chem's Zemimet, which topped the list, grew 7% to 23 billion won

DPP-4 inhibitor-based drugs used to treat diabetes continue to decline this year.

 

Sales of prescriptions for major products such as Janumet, Trajenta, and Galvus fell one after another.

 

LG Chem's Zemimet, which rose to No.

 

1 in the market last year, is the only top-tier item to grow, recording 23 billion won in quarterly prescriptions.

 

According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical market research firm on the 29th, the market for diabetes treatments affiliated with DPP-4 inhibitors in the first quarter was estimated at 151.2 billion won.

 

It decreased 2.2% from 154.6 billion won a year earlier.

 

The top six products, which record more than 10 billion won in quarterly prescriptions, saw their prescriptions fall.

 

Representatively, MSD's Januvia series, which has led the DPP-4 inhibitor market, all showed a decline.

 

Januvia recorded 10.7 billion won, down 7.1% from the previous year.

 

During the same period, sales of Janumet and Janumet XR also fell 6.6% and 0.7%, respectively, to 18.4 billion won and 12.4 billion won.

 

It is analyzed that the reduction in the drug price of the Januvia series had a partial effect on the reduction of prescription amount.

 

MSD voluntarily lowered the drug price of the Januvia series in February due to a trade-off agreement with the government.

 

It is a condition to expand Keytruda benefits, an immuno-cancer drug with a high financial burden.

 

Since March, drug prices in the Januvia series have fallen by an average of 6%.

 

Sales of Beringer Ingelheim's Trajenta and Trajenta Duo also fell slightly.

 

Trajenta fell 2.0% year-on-year to 15.3 billion won and Trajenta Duo fell 1.2% to 16.4 billion won, respectively.

 

Galvus and Galvusmet fell 25.0% and 18.0% respectively last quarter to 1.6 billion won and 7.8 billion won in prescriptions.

 

Hanmi Pharmaceutical, Angook Pharmaceutical, and Angooknewpharm, which acquired generic for exclusivity as salt-changing drugs, announced the release of generic for Galvusmet in January.

 

In March, more than 10 generics poured out.

 

Among products from multinational pharmaceutical companies, AstraZeneca's Onglyza series also fell 5.6% to 6.7 billion won this year from 7.1 billion won last year.

 

◆Zemimet of LG Chem, which ranked first, will grow 7% this year LG Chem, the No.

 

1 DPP-4 inhibitor market, continued to grow despite the drop in prescriptions by multinational companies.

 

Zemimet, a domestic DPP-4 inhibitor developed by LG Chem, increased by 7.0% from the same period last year and raised the prescription amount by 23 billion won.

 

There is a difference of about 5 billion won from second-place Janumet.

 

Single-agent Zemiglo also rose 3.4% from 9.4 billion won to 9.7 billion won.

 

Zemimet recorded 90.8 billion won in annual prescriptions last year.

 

It beat Janumet, which was the No.

 

1 market leader for the first time last year.

 

Dong-A ST's Suganon family, generics in the DPP-4 inhibitor market, is also growing.

 

Suganon and combination of Sugamet expanded their prescriptions by 5.2% and 14.2% respectively in the first quarter of this year.

 

The quarterly prescription for the two products recorded 8.3 billion won.

 

Products introduced overseas by domestic pharmaceutical companies such as Guardlet and Nesina have all fallen in prescriptions.

 

The Nestina series, which Takeda handed over its rights to Celltrion fell 8.5% from the previous year to 7.5 billion won in prescriptions last quarter.

 

During the period, Guardlet, introduced by JW Pharmaceutical from Japan's Sanwa Chemical Research Institute, fell 14.3% to 1.5 billion won.

 

Guardmet was discontinued from the third quarter of 2020 due to impurity problems.