Diabetes Treatments Exploring Various Mechanisms... Potential Expansion to Obesity Therapy

Daewoong to Launch SGLT-2 Inhibitor 'Inavogliflozin' Next Year
LG Chem Continues Expanding Combination Drug Portfolio Including 'Zemidapa'

Global Diabetes Treatment Market Expected to Grow to 166 Trillion Won Next Year

'GLP-1' Mechanism Also Provides Weight Loss Effect
Lilly's 'Mounjaro' Reduces Weight by Up to 22.5%
Hanmi and Yuhan Developing Similar Drugs Domestically

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] New drug development continues in the domestic and international diabetes treatment market. Due to the nature of diabetes, where treatment effects improve when various drugs are used rather than just one, diverse mechanisms of action are needed. Some of these mechanisms also come with obesity treatment effects, leading to a gradually expanding market.

According to the industry on the 21st, Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to launch the sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor 'Inavogliflozin' under the name 'Enblojeong' sometime next year. Earlier this month, Daewoong Pharmaceutical presented the Phase 3 clinical trial results of Inavogliflozin at the International Congress of Diabetes and Metabolism (ICDM) hosted by the Korean Diabetes Association and has applied for product approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

According to the disclosed clinical results, Inavogliflozin reduced glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) by 1 percentage point compared to placebo in monotherapy. Additionally, significant improvements were observed in body weight, blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Furthermore, in dual and triple combination therapies with other diabetes treatments, Inavogliflozin demonstrated non-inferiority compared to AstraZeneca's SGLT-2 inhibitor 'Forxiga' (active ingredient dapagliflozin).

As the number of diabetes patients continues to increase, the diabetes treatment market size is also expanding. According to Global Market Insights, the global diabetes treatment market, which was valued at $51.1 billion (approximately 73 trillion KRW) in 2015, is estimated to grow to $116.1 billion (approximately 166 trillion KRW) by 2023.

The mechanism of action of Daewoong Pharmaceutical's SGLT-2 inhibitor 'Inavogliflozin' (Photo by Daewoong Pharmaceutical Newsroom)

Among these, since most diabetes treatments are prescribed in combination rather than monotherapy, SGLT-2 inhibitors, which are still relatively new treatment methods compared to existing metformin or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, are expected to have high market expansion potential as combination therapies continue to grow. They have recently gained attention for their use in treating major diabetes complications such as heart failure and kidney disease. Globally, Forxiga and Boehringer Ingelheim's 'Jardiance' (active ingredient empagliflozin) have entered the market.

LG Chem has received product approval for the combination drug 'Gemidapa'?which combines its self-developed DPP-4 inhibitor 'Gemiglo' (active ingredient gemigliptin) with Forxiga?in June and is preparing for its launch. LG Chem is also building a diverse line of combination drugs, including 'Gemimet,' which combines Gemiglo with metformin, and 'Gemilow,' which combines it with the cholesterol-lowering drug rosuvastatin.

'Weight loss effect' as well... up to 22.5% weight reduction at once

Attempts to expand diabetes treatments to obesity treatments are also ongoing. One major class of diabetes drugs is glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) hormone analogs. When GLP-1 hormone levels exceed physiological amounts, they reduce gastrointestinal motility, increase satiety, and suppress appetite. Clinical trials have demonstrated that GLP-1 analog diabetes drugs produce weight loss as a side effect. In Korea, Novo Nordisk's 'Saxenda' (active ingredient liraglutide) is available. Saxenda showed a 10% weight reduction in clinical trials conducted in 2015.

Among these, Eli Lilly's GLP-1 receptor agonist 'Mounjaro' (active ingredient tirzepatide) has recently been designated as a 'fast track' review candidate by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for obesity indications, entering the competition. It has also received approval to start Phase 3 clinical trials domestically. According to Eli Lilly, Mounjaro demonstrated up to a 22.5% reduction in body weight in obese patients during clinical trials. No previous obesity treatment drug had shown over 20% weight loss effects.

Additionally, Novo Nordisk received FDA approval for its obesity treatment drug 'Wegovy' (active ingredient semaglutide), a successor to Saxenda. Although it is currently only approved for diabetes in Korea, weight loss-related clinical trials are planned domestically.

Domestically, Hanmi Pharmaceutical and Yuhan Corporation are also developing related drugs. Hanmi Pharmaceutical's GLP-1 inhibitor 'Epeglenatide' has completed Phase 3 clinical trials, confirming weight loss effects in addition to blood sugar control. Yuhan Corporation is preparing to enter Phase 1 clinical trials for its GLP-1 class drug 'YH34160.'

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.