SGLT-2 inhibitor combos drive sales in diabetes market

Prescription sales of SGLT-2 inhibitors amount to ₩32.1 billion in the 1st quarter… ₩19.4 billion from monotherapy + ₩12.7 billion from combination therapy

Sale of Boheringer’s ‘Jardiance Duo’ jump 58%... ‘Xigduo’ also rose by 19%

The domestic sales of sodium-glucose transport protein-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors in the diabetes treatment market have repeatedly marked rapid growth.

 

The outpatient prescription sales of SGLT-2 inhibitors in Q1 this year increased by 14% from the previous year, continuing its double-digit growth.

 

The growth is driven by combination therapies.

 

Prescriptions of the two combo therapies ‘Xigduo’ and ‘Jardiance Duo’ have increased by 2.3 times over the past two years.

 

◆2.3 times increase in prescription of combo drugs… market share also jumps from 27%→39% According to pharmaceutical market research firm UBIST on the 29th, the SGLT-2 inhibitor class of antidiabetic treatments has recorded a total of 32.1 billion won in outpatient prescription sales in Q1 this year.

 

This is a 14% increase from Q1 of the previous year.

 

The SGLT-2 inhibitor market has been increasing quarter by quarter since AstraZeneca’s ‘Forxiga (dapagliflozin) was first introduced to the market in June 2014.

 

Following AstraZeneca, Astellas Pharma’s ‘Suglat (ipragliflozin),’ Boehringer Ingelheim’s ‘Jardiance (empagliflozin),’ MSD’s ‘Steglatro (ertugliflozin),’ also entered the market.

 

Prescription sales of SGLT-2 inhibitors for the last 2 years have been 20.9 billion won in Q1, 23 billion won in Q2, 24.2 billion won in Q3, and 26.1 billion won in Q4 of 2019, and 28.1 billion won in Q1, 29.2 billion won in Q2, 32 billion won in Q3 and 32.1 billion won in Q4 of 2020.

 

The recent market growth has been driven by combination therapies.

 

The SGLT-2 inhibitor combos, AstraZeneca’s ‘Xigduo’ and Boehringer Ingelheim’s ‘Jardiance,’ are in fierce competition.

 

Both drugs are combination therapies that have added metformin to each company’s SGLT-2 inhibitor.

 

At first, total prescription sales of the two products amounted to a mere 5.6 billion won in Q1 2019, with their combined market share being 27%.

 

However, sales have increased over twofold over the next 2 years to reach 12.7 billion won, and their market share also expanded to reach 39%.

 

By each product, Xigduo sold 7.7 billion won, and Jardiance Duo sold 5 billion won in Q1 of this year.

 

The growth surge is more notable in Jardiance Duo, with a 58% increase from Q1 of the previous year.

 

Xigduo also saw a 19% growth during the same period.

 

◆Forxiga·Jardiance both record ₩9.1 billion… market expected to increase with indication expansion Among monotherapies, Forxiga and Jardiance have recorded 9.1 billion won each.

 

This is an 8% increase for Jardiance and a 4% increase for Forxiga compared to the previous year.

 

Despite the market’s rapid growth, Suglat and Steglatro, however, has shown reduced performance.

 

The prescriptions sales of Suglat and Steglatro recorded only 0.8 billion won and 0.5 billion won in Q1 this year.

 

This was a 4% and 19% respective decrease compared to the Q1 of last year.

 

Industry officials expect the growth of Forxiga and Jardiance to continue for a while.

 

The biggest reason being their expanded indication.

 

In December last year, Forxiiga succeeded in adding a chronic heart failure indication in Korea.

 

As a result, the drug may be used for heart failure, with or without diabetes.

 

Jardiance also has submitted an application for the same indication and is awaiting approval.

 

One variable that might hinder this growth is the release of follow-on drugs by domestic pharmaceutical companies.

 

Currently, Dong-A ST is the only company to have successfully avoided Forxiga's substance patent (to expire in April 2023).

 

The second and third trial remains, however, the company has met the requirements to release a follow-on drug.

 

If wishing to do so, Dong-A ST could release a follow-on drug within this year.

 

Also, Daewoong Pharmaceutical has been speeding up the development of its new drug 'Enavogliflozin.' With Phase III clinical trials currently underway, Daewoong aims to roll out its drug in 2023.