As physicians have increasingly recommended glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists as treatments for diabetes, Lilly hopes to raise more profits through its GLP-1 receptor agonist Trulicity.
Jeong In-kyung, a professor at the Endocrinology Department of Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, explained the clinical significance of GLP-1 receptor agonists recommended for diabetes treatment and the clinical value of Trulicity, at a press conference here on Friday. The new event was to celebrate the third anniversary of Trulicity’s arrival in the local market.
“The number of diabetic patients has been rising worldwide, and many drugs are pouring out. While many drugs are available, patients who achieve target blood glucose levels account for only half of the total patients,” Jeong said.
According to Jeong, patients with diabetes are more likely to suffer accompanying diseases such as hypertension and dyslipidemia. In patients with such diverse metabolic disorders, they have a high chance of developing not only the macrovascular disease but also microvascular complications, she said.
“To reduce the complications of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients, it is necessary to control not only blood glucose but also concomitant diseases,” she added.
The Korean Diabetes Association (KDA) gave high marks to the safety and efficacy of GLP-1 receptor agonists in its latest diabetes treatment guidelines. The association recommended using GLP-1 receptor agonists with SGLT-2 inhibitors, which were effective to prevent cardiovascular risks in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
“GLP-1 receptor agonists scored excellently in overall factors, including blood glucose lowering effect, cardiovascular benefit, hypoglycemia risk, and weight correlation, suggested by the KDA’s criteria for anti-diabetic drugs,” Jeong said. “Besides, they seem to work in a variety of aspects, not only lowering blood sugar but controlling weight and reducing renal disease risk and cardiovascular disease risk.”
Trulicity, one of the most popular GLP-1 receptor antagonists, confirmed superior blood glucose lowering effect and safety as well as cardiovascular benefits beyond cardiovascular safety, through years of clinical trials, she said. “It will become an effective treatment option as the importance of customized diabetes treatment is growing,” Professor Jeong added.
According to Lilly Korea, Trulicity sales account for 26.8 percent of the total revenue of anti-diabetic injection treatments, which is the largest market share in Korea. The drugmaker rolled out Trulicity in the domestic market three years ago.
Boryung Pharm, which is jointly marketing Trulicity, said it would hold symposiums across the nation to explain about the latest diabetes treatment trends for physicians.
The company also said it would conduct an awareness campaign to help patients fight the fear against needles, to accelerate the sales growth of the leading drug.