Growing Pervasiveness Of Diabetes Worldwide Will Spur Global Antidiabetics Market Growth

In another study of 173 patients with severe disease, 16.2% had diabetes, and in further study of 140 hospitalized patients, 12% had diabetes.

According to the International Diabetes Federation, incidences of diabetes and related disorders are anticipated to grow in the future owing to the changing lifestyles and increasing geriatric population across the world. Obesity and diabetes share a fundamental relationship and is expected to be the biggest challenge for public health in the future.

According to WHO, diabetes prevalence has been rising more rapidly in middle- and low-income countries. It is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and lower limb amputation. In 2016, an estimated 1.6 million deaths were directly caused by diabetes. Almost half of all deaths attributable to high blood glucose occur before the age of 70 years. WHO estimates that diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in 2016.

Type 2 diabetes is a major public health concern globally with 6.4% of the adult population i.e. 285 million people are suffering from diabetes, which is projected to reach the number 552 million by 2030, according to the International Diabetes Federation. In US alone approximately 79 million individuals are reported prediabetic. About 65 million people with type 2 diabetes need insulin, but only half of them can access it, largely due to high prices.  All people with type 1 diabetes need insulin to survive.

Most of the diabetic population prefer generic drugs rather than the branded ones, for instance, most people take metformin, not Glucophage, and similarly many take glipizide, a generic sulfonylurea drug, while few take Glucotrol, its brand-name version.

How Could Antidiabetic Drugs Addresses The COVID-19 Concerns?

Patients with chronic diseases are facing new challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current burden of COVID-19 exacerbates how patients can self-manage their conditions due to physical distancing, isolation, and complications in accessing healthcare services.

When people with diabetes develop a viral infection, it can be harder to treat due to fluctuations in blood glucose levels and, possibly, the presence of diabetes complications.

Older people and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as diabetes, heart disease, and asthma) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the COVID-19 virus. There appear to be two reasons for this. Firstly, the immune system is compromised, making it harder to fight the virus and likely leading to a longer recovery period. Secondly, the virus may thrive in an environment of elevated blood glucose.

When comparing intensive care and non-intensive care patients with COVID-19, there appears to be a twofold increase in the incidence of patients in intensive care having diabetes. Mortality seems to be about threefold higher in people with diabetes compared with the general mortality of COVID-19 in China.

Impact of Antidiabetic Drug On COVID-19 Outbreak

People with diabetes and COVID-19 may need special attention and clinical care. In the absence of any known efficient therapy and because of the situation of a “public health emergency”, many drugs have been tried recently in the treatment for COVID-19 that includes low-cost antimalarial drug chloroquine and its derivative hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), along with several other antiviral drugs. Because HCQ has been approved in the treatment of type 2 diabetes in India since 2014 as a third- or fourth-line drug, it would be interesting to research its impact in patients with diabetes, infected with COVID-19.

Reports gathered so far have suggested that a number of drugs could be potential candidates for the treatment of COVID-19, although the clinical effectiveness of these drugs has not yet been fully evaluated.

Further, due to the emerging nature of the pandemic, there is little information on what self-management or self-education tools are effective in the specific context of COVID-19. Diabetes UK guidance suggests that people with diabetes follow their “current routine” including checking feet daily, keeping to a healthy diet, and keeping active. They also warn against stockpiling medication and supplies and note that insulin pump warranties due to expire soon will be extended or a replacement provided by the company if needed at any point.

The global diabetes care drugs market reached USD 78.7 billion in 2019 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 4.8 % during the next 5 years according to Goldstein Intelligence Market Predictions. North America accounted for a major share in the market followed by Asia-Pacific. Based on drugs, the insulin segment holds a significant share in the market. Over 100 million people around the world need insulin, including all the people suffering from Type-1 diabetes and between 10-25% of people with Type-2 diabetes. Currently, about 10% of all diabetes cases are Type-1 and the remaining are of Type-2.

Eli Lilly's (LLY) Trulicity is projected to be the No. 1 top-selling diabetes drug in the world by 2024. Evaluate Pharma thinks the drug will rake in annual sales of $4.6 billion and claim a market share of 7.8%.