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Type 2 diabetes market

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 4, pages 367–368 (2005)Cite this article

Oral therapies on the market

More than half of all type 2 diabetics in the US are on some form of oral therapy. Metformin (Glucophage; Bristol-Myers Squibb), a biguanide, is the only marketed therapy that directly combats diabetes by reducing the production of glucose by the liver. In several clinical trials, metformin has been shown to reduce fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels, improve patients' lipid profiles and promote modest weight loss. Because of its demonstrated efficacy and the fact that it can be combined with most other oral type 2 diabetes therapies, metformin has been an extremely successful product. Before going off-patent in 2002, the metformin franchise reached peak sales of US$2.7 billion in 2001, and had more than one-third of the share of new prescriptions in the oral type 2 diabetes market, making it the oral hypoglycaemic agent of first choice. Although still prescribed widely, sales of the branded product have declined precipitously since the arrival of generic competitors.

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Figure 1: Diabetes estimates and projections in selected countries.
Figure 2: New drug classes will contribute to type 2 diabetes market growth.4

References

  1. Wild, S. et al. Global prevalence of diabetes: estimates for the year 2000 and projections for 2030. Diabetes Care 27, 1047–1053 (2004).

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  2. American Diabetes Association, NIDDK, 2003.

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  1. An Associate biotech analyst at SG Cowen & Co. LLC, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, 10020, New York, USA

    Leland Gershell

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  1. Leland Gershell
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Gershell, L. Type 2 diabetes market. Nat Rev Drug Discov 4, 367–368 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd1723

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