Sales of SGLT-2 diabetes drugs increased by 15%

Forxiga's sales amounted to 40.2 billion won in the first quarter, and Jardiance's sales amounted to 10.3 billion won

Sales of combination products are 16.9 billion won

The SGLT-2 inhibitor market, which surpassed 150 billion won in annual prescriptions last year, also grew 15% in the first quarter, surpassing 40 billion won in quarterly prescriptions.

 

single and combination drugs have grown evenly.

 

According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical market research firm, on the 28th, the total amount of outpatient prescriptions for SGLT-2 inhibitors in the first quarter was 40.2 billion won, up 15.0% from 34.8 billion won a year earlier.

 

The quarterly prescription for SGLT-2 inhibitors, which was in the early 20 billion won in 2019, has nearly doubled in two years.

 

The SGLT-2 inhibitor has been released as a type 2 diabetes treatment, expanding the disease group to the heart and kidneys, and indications are expanding.

 

The SGLT-2 inhibitor is a mechanism that inhibits the reabsorption of glucose from the kidneys and releases glucose into the urine.

 

This not only reduces blood sugar, but also reduces weight, kidney function, and blood pressure.

 

This is why SGLT-2 inhibitors can also be used as heart and kidney drugs.

 

Sales of AstraZeneca's Forxiga recorded the highest prescription amount of 11.6 billion won in the first quarter.

 

This is an increase of 16.7% compared to 9.9 billion won a year earlier.

 

Forxiga is leading the market with the most indications among competing drugs.

 

It obtained indications of chronic heart failure in 2020 and expanded its scope to chronic kidney disease in August last year.

 

All of them are the first of the SGLT-2 series.

 

Beringer Ingelheim's Jardiance's prescription amounted to 10.3 billion won in the first quarter, up 5.2% from 9.8 billion won a year earlier.

 

The gap with Forxiga widened in the first quarter of this year.

 

In the first quarter of last year, Jardiance (9.8 billion won) had almost the same prescription as Forxiga (9.9 billion won), but it made a difference of 1.3 billion won.

 

In November last year, chronic heart failure indications were added, and it is trying to expand its scope due to kidney disease.

 

In particular, at HFpEF, Jardiance first released positive data.

 

Handok's Suglat and MSD's Steglatro continue to perform poorly with quarterly prescriptions of less than 1 billion won.

 

Prescription sales of Suglat and Steglatro in the first quarter were 900 million won and 400 million won, respectively.

 

Compared to the same period last year, Suglat increased by 100 million won and Steglatro decreased by 100 million won.

 

Unlike Forxiga and Jardiance, the two products are limited to type 2 diabetes, and clinical trials have not been conducted to expand their indications.

 

They accounted for only 3.3% of the SGLT-2 inhibitor market.

 

Xigduo achieved 10 billion won in prescription in the fourth quarter of last year.

 

In the first quarter of this year, it also increased its prescription amount by 18.2% compared to the same period last year.

 

During the same period, Jardiance Duo also increased its prescription amount from 5.4 billion won to 7 billion won, growing 28.5%.

 

Jardiance Duo appeared in the market a year later than Xigduo, showing a difference of about 3 billion won.

 

In the first quarter, prescriptions for SGLT-2 complex drugs amounted to 16.9 billion won, up 21.6% from 13.9 billion won a year earlier.

 

Combination drugs have higher sales than single systems.

 

In the first quarter of 2019, the prescription amount was 5.7 billion won, which was only one-third of the single system, and the quarterly prescription amount exceeded 10 billion won a year later, and 15 billion won last year.

 

The gap between sales and single products has also narrowed significantly.

 

Last quarter, the proportion of combination drugs and single drugs was 42:58.