Diabetes market set to increase with new drug introductions

WALTHAM, Mass. The launch and uptake of more than 20 new drugs to treat Type 2 diabetes will increase the market’s size by more than $12 billion, according to a report announced Tuesday.

In the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Japan over the next 10 years, novel and existing DPP-IV inhibitors and GLP-1 analogues, such as Merck & Co.’s Januvia (sitagliptin) and Onglyza (saxagliptin) by Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca, are expected to increase the market size by $12.5 billion, research firm Decision Resources said in its report, titled “Type 2 Diabetes.”

The report noted that DPP-IV inhibitors have a low risk of hypoglycemia and a good tolerability profile, making them suitable for widespread use, while GLP-1 analogues are good for obese people with Type 2 diabetes.

“The commercial potential for drugs with demonstrated disease-modifying capabilities and long-term efficacy is reflected in the burgeoning pipeline for Type 2 diabetes, which currently has more than 400 drugs in active development,” Decision Resources analyst Christine Helliwell said. “However, with a greater regulatory burden in the United States and an increasingly crowded market, the barriers for success are higher than ever before.”

The report comes a day after the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America released a report showing a record 183 diabetes drugs in clinical testing or awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval.