Antidiabetic drugs using sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor as the main ingredient continued to sell well in the third quarter, industry data showed.

According to data by UBIST, a pharmaceutical market researcher, three SGLT-2 inhibitor treatments Forxiga (AstraZeneca), Jardiance (Boehringer Ingelheim), and Suglat (Astellas) had posted 12.84 billion won ($11.3 million) in combined prescription sales in the third quarter, up 4.6 percent from 12.27 billion won in the second quarter.

Forxiga topped the third-quarter prescription sales with 6.97 billion won, a 3.7 percent increase from 6.73 billion won sales in the second quarter. After AstraZeneca replaced the sales partner from CJ Healthcare to Daewoong Pharmaceutical, the drugmaker steadily maintained the revenue from Forxiga.

Jardiance’s revenue came close to that of Forxiga. The outpatient prescriptions of Jardiance recorded 5.32 billion won in the third quarter, up 6.6 percent compared to 4.99 billion won in the second quarter. If the drug keeps the sales pace, it may overtake Forxiga.

Suglat, sold by Handok due to Daewoong’s co-promotion for Forxiga, was the only drug among the three to suffer a decline in sales. The revenue of Suglat fell to 537 million won in the third quarter, down 2.3 percent from 550 million won in the second quarter.

Despite Suglat’s setback, SGLT-2 inhibitor-related medicines might sell well depending on the regulator’s decisions on the reimbursement criteria.

SGLT-2 inhibitors have different approval conditions depending on the individual product, not on the drug class, which limits prescriptions. The academic community asserts that SGLT-2 inhibitors should, just like other medicines, come under the same reimbursement criteria based on the class.

Antidiabetic treatments are primarily divided into two types -- dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors and SGLT-2 inhibitors. If the authorities allow two types to be used for combination therapies, pharmaceutical companies’ sales could significantly increase, observers said.

“SGLT-2 inhibitors’ growth pace is slower than expected. This is because they have different reimbursement standards,” a pharmaceutical source said. “If drugmakers’ marketing activities overlap with the expansion of reimbursements for popular DDP-4 inhibitors, sales growth of SGLT-2 inhibitors might shoot up explosively.”