Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd said it has launched a new diabetes drug in India at a price that is around 65% cheaper than those of competing offerings.
The new drug is a combination of a Sodium Glucose Co-Transporter Inhibitor (SGLT2i) and a Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 inhibitor.
“Glenmark’s Remo V and Remozen V are priced at Rs. 14 per tab, or Rs. 28 per day as the cost of therapy, which is 65% lower than the other available SGLT2 & DPP4 combination brands in India,” it claimed.
In comparison, the average daily cost of therapy of existing brands in the same drug category is Rs. 78, it said.
This is not the first time Glenmark has caused much disruption in the diabetes market.
In 2015, the company launched its DPP4 inhibitor – Teneligliptin — at a price that was approximately 55% lower than the other DPP4 inhibitors available in India at that time.
Similarly, last year, the company launched its patent protected SGLT2 inhibitor Remogliflozin at a price that was around 55% lesser than competing products available in the Indian market at that time.
The new product is a combination of the above SGLT2 inhibitor (Remogliflozin) and a widely used DPP4 inhibitor Vildagliptin in a 100 mg + 50 mg ratio.
Glenmark said this is the first Remogliflozin + Vildagliptin fixed dose combination, and India is the first country to get access to this combination drug.
Glenmark received approval from the DCGI (the drug approval authority in India) for manufacturing and marketing Remogliflozin + Vildagliptin combination in late November 2020.
This combination has been approved by the DCGI, the drug regulator in India for adults aged 18 years and older with Type 2 diabetes to improve glycemic control when metformin and one of the mono-components of fixed dose combination do not provide adequate glycemic control, or when already being treated with separate doses of Remogliflozin & Vildagliptin.
The company said that SGLT2 inhibitors & DPP4 inhibitors are emerging as the preferred treatment option for the management of Type 2 diabetes.
India is considered the Type 2 diabetes capital of the world, partly because of lack of exercise and accentuated by a hi-carb diet as well as a genetic predisposition.
According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the prevalence of diabetes in India is 8.9% with around 77 million adults living with diabetes as of 2019.
In chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, patients are required to consume multiple anti-diabetic drugs for prolonged periods of time.
Given that patients in India have to bear the drug cost on their own, the price of the drug becomes a major factor that impacts treatment adherence.
“Glenmark’s Remogliflozin + Vildagliptin combination will significantly improve access and bring a world class and well researched combination product at an affordable price to patients in India,” the company claimed.
LUPIN
Separately, rival Lupin Ltd announced the launch of Mycophenolate Mofetil Tablets in the US.
The drug is a generic equivalent of Roche Palo Alto’s CellCept, and is an immunosuppresant for use in organ transplant cases.
Mycophenolate Mofetil Tablets have an annual sales of approximately
USD 87 million in the U.S.