Era of ₩30 bil novel homegrown drug Suganon begins now

Sungwoo Lee, Dong-A ST (Suganon Marketing GPM)

Had difficulty expanding market as the last DPP-4 inhibitor … works to win customers with its evidence and convenience

Aims to increase presence as a SGLT-2 combination therapy… targets the US market with the calcific aortic valve disease indication

Annual sales of the 26th homegrown new drug ‘Suganon (evogliptin)’ family that was developed by Dong-A ST has reached ₩30 billion 5 years into its release.

 

During an interview with Dailypharm, Sung-Woo Lee, the GPM who oversees the marketing of Suganon, said, “Market share of Suganon has been steadily increasing due to its superior efficacy data, such as its strong effect in lowering blood sugar levels and its stable maintenance of glycemic variability, as well as efforts to improve convenience in intake.

 

With our product line-up, expanded indication, and active efforts to expand to the overseas market, we will continue to grow our homegrown new drug.” ◆Last latecomer Suganon makes a winning bid with ‘evidence’

Sungwoo Lee, Suganon GPM at Dong-A ST

The DPP-4 inhibitor Suganon had not always been such a success.

 

When the drug was released in March 2016, the DPP-4 inhibitor market was full of fierce competition with products from both multinational and domestic companies.

 

MSD’s Januvia had been raising ₩140 billion in outpatient prescriptions in collaboration with Chong Kun Dang.

 

Trajenta, which has been copromoted by Boehringer Ingelheim and Yuhan Corp had also raised ₩100 billion, and LG Chem’s individually developed Zemiglo raised ₩50 billion.

 

In other words, it was already a difficult environment for a latecomer drug like Suganon to penetrate.

 

After GPM Lee took charge of marketing Suganon in 2019, he had earnestly sought measures to differentiate the product from the other products.

 

As a result, Suganon’s stronger blood sugar level lowering effect among DPP-4 inhibitors was emphasized and reaffirmed through the EVERGREEN clinical trial.

 

Lee said, “Suganon’s sales increased after the drug’s differentiated effect was published in the SCI paper ‘DOM,’ in which the drug demonstrated a strong blood sugar level lowering effect and evidence with a new index, glycemic variability.

 

Last year, the combination drug ‘Sugamet’ that contains both Suganon and metformin drove Suganon’s sales growth.

 

Dong-A ST used metformin to reduce the tablet size of Sugamet twice.

 

Last year, Sugamet recorded the highest growth among the 21 DPP-4 inhibitor products, with a 39.7% growth in sales.

 

Lee said, “Suganon’s market share, which was the lowest among 9 DPP-4 inhibitors by 2018, rose to exceed 5% for the first time last year due to accumulated clinical data and its improved convenience in administration.

 

◆Suagnon increases domestic market share and heads out globally However, the company is not stopping there and is aiming higher.

 

First of all, the company is expanding the Suganon lineup in line with the current trend in diabetes treatment.

 

The new combination Dong-A ST had been working on since 3 years ago is a combination of Suganon and an SGLT-2 inhibitor ‘dapagliflozin (product name: Forxiga).’ With the need to introduce a new combination drug, the company had started clinical trials in full scale.

 

Among DPP-4+SGLT-2 combination drugs, Boehringer Ingelheim’s ‘Esglito,’ MSD’s ‘Stegluzan,’ AstraZeneca’s ‘Qtern’ were approved, but none are being prescribed in earnest yet due to reimbursement issues.

 

However, as the insurance authorities are discussing accepting the ‘class effect’ of SGLT-2 inhibitor combinations, the industry is looking forward to future changes in the environment.

 

Dong-A ST is also in the midst of clinical for its DPP-4+SGLT-2 combination with the goal of launching the drug in the second half of next year.

 

Dong-A ST has also started a global clinical trial for the calcific aortic valve disease indication.

 

Dong-A ST will be conducting a Phase II/III trial led by Rednvia, which was jointly established by Dong-A ST and Bionvia.

 

Lee explained, “We had confirmed Suganon’s strong effect in calcific aortic valve disease in animal models in the Phase II trial, and started Phase II/III clinical trials at various medical institutions including the Mayo clinic that will be completed by 2025.

 

As 3% to 25% of patients over 65 are estimated to have the condition in North America, we believed it has high marketability for the indication there.” The Suganon family is recording active sales overseas as well.

 

Starting in Indica in 2019, Suganon was also released in Russia, Brazil, and Argentina.

 

The company is preparing to release Suganon in many other Latin American countries this year.