Novo Nordisk Korea announced Tuesday that its ultralong-acting basal insulin analog Tresiba (ingredient name: Insulin degludec) achieved the top position in the market for next-generation insulin.

Tresiba is a new generation of hypoglycemia, which is administered once a day for over 42 hours. The drug has a long half-life of 25 hours and has the flexibility to be administered once a day with stable and robust blood glucose control. It is important to apply insulin to patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes regularly. Tresiba forms a “multi-hexamer” when injected into the body, resulting in a stable blood glucose lowering effect for 24 hours.

Results found that the risk of nighttime hypoglycemia significantly reduced by 43 percent compared to conventional insulin, and the maintenance period for confirming long-term safety reduced by 53 percent.

According to the drug market researcher UBIST, data showed that Tresiba ranked first in the domestic market for next-generation insulin, with a market share of 24.1 percent last month. Tresiba has seen steady sales growth since its release, and its sales exceeded 10 billion won ($8.8 million) last year. The company achieved sales of 8 billion won in the first half of this year, which has since been rising.

The results of the clinical trial of Tresiba DEVOTE trial were published at the 77th American Diabetes Association (ADA) annual conference and the 53rd European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

"We are very pleased to have achieved the top share of the market for the next generation of insulin in less than two years,” said Rana Azfar Zafar, the general manager of the Korean branch. “This means that Tresiba is fully established in the anti-diabetic drug market and is a priceless achievement in the competition with insulin glargine that has occupied the market for a long time.”

In the future, Novo Nordisk will further strengthen its position as a portfolio of Insulin degludec family with Tresiba in the anti-diabetic drug market, the official added.

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