Daewoong’s diabetes drug Envlo achieves rapid sales growth

Daewoong Pharmaceutical said its diabetes drug  Envlo (ingredient: enavogliflozin) and Envlomet, a combo of enavogliflozin and metformin hydrochloride, have exceeded 10 billion won ($7.5 million) in patient prescriptions. 

The Envlomet SR Tab was approved just a month after Envlo Tab, the first SGLT-2 inhibitor for diabetes treatment in Korea. 

Since its launch, the Envlo line has seen an average monthly growth rate of 14 percent, with prescriptions surpassing 270,000 tablets in the first month and reaching a cumulative value of 10.2 billion won by July.

The expiration of the patent for Farxiga (ingredient: dapagliflozin) last April saw over 190 generics enter the market, intensifying competition and leading to the withdrawal of several foreign diabetes medications from the domestic market.

“Studies have demonstrated that enavogliflozin offers better glucose excretion and safety, securing its position as a competitive domestic diabetes treatment option,” the company said. 

At the 84th American Diabetes Association (ADA) annual meeting in June, research confirmed enavogliflozin's enhanced blood glucose-lowering effects in patients with mild renal impairment struggling to control their blood sugar.

A pooled analysis of two phase 3 clinical trials combining enavogliflozin with metformin showed that the drug outperformed dapagliflozin in lowering blood glucose, increasing urinary glucose excretion, and improving insulin resistance in patients with mild kidney issues.

The study revealed that over 24 weeks, enavogliflozin reduced glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels by 0.94 percent, compared to a 0.77 percent reduction with dapagliflozin, making it 1.2 times more potent than the existing SGLT-2 inhibitor.

Additionally, patients on enavogliflozin achieved a urine glucose creatinine ratio of about 55 g/g from week 6 to week 24, comparable to patients with normal kidney function. In contrast, those on dapagliflozin had a ratio of around 42 g/g by week 24, indicating lower effectiveness.

Daewoong plans to broaden Envlo's indications to include insulin combination therapy and address diabetes in patients with renal impairment. “Envlo’s rapid growth reflects the increasing role of domestic diabetes treatments,” said CEO Lee Chang-Jae. “We aim to expand the availability of Envlo to address concerns arising from the withdrawal of Farxiga.”