Product Innovation Compel Funding in the Global Diabetes Drugs Market

One of the key factors augmenting the risk of developing diabetes and prediabetes is age. A visible rise in the geriatric population has been witnessed globally over several decades, and this trend is estimated to be constant in the future, as well. Hence, the average life expectancy, coupled with the prevailing incidences of diabetes, majorly influence the global diabetes drugs market. While the leading risk is type 2 diabetes, a large pool of recently diagnosed diabetics constitutes the elderly age group.

Product-Innovation-Compel-Funding-in-Global-Diabetes-Drugs-Market

Below highlighted are the key statistical facts to the most recent data:

  • As per the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the number of people with diabetes worldwide reached 425 million in 2017 and is further expected to reach 629 million by 2045.
  • According to the estimations issued by the IDF in 2017, approximately 1.1 million children and adolescents across the globe have Type 1 diabetes.
  • The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Diabetes Report Statistics 2017 states that 30.3 million Americans had diabetes in 2015, representing one in 10 of the country’s total population. Also, in the same year, an estimated 1.5 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed among United States adults aged 18 years or older.
  • In Europe, the population of people aged 80 and above is projected to double between 2013 and 2040.

Since numerous physiological alterations are witnessed within older aged patients, the disease’s classic symptoms may not be expected to manifest. Besides, changes due to age can mask those indications. However, important factors leading to Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes include:

  • Increased thirst
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Recurrent infections, such as gum, skin, and vaginal infections
  • Blurred vision
  • Frequent urination
  • Slow-healing sores

The treatment and diagnosis of diabetes among older adults demands increased flexibility and a customized approach. Moreover, owing to the population’s heterogeneity varying in terms of life expectancy, the need to control blood glucose concomitant of chronic diseases as well as the intake of injections increases. Older adults with long-term diabetes, coupled with several other chronic complications, require a liberal methodology to counter specific goals in terms of the treatment.

The elderly populace diagnosed with diabetes are highly susceptible to chronic complications such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disorders (CVDs), frailty syndrome, damage to the eyes, kidney failure, and foot ulcers. Therefore, during the course of the treatment, it is essential to consider the side effects of the medications and drug interactions.

The most common drugs applicable for treating Type 2 diabetes in the older age group are:

  • Sulphonylureas – Sulphonylureas is an oral medication that helps control sugar levels in the patient’s blood with Type 2 diabetes. It stimulates insulin production in the pancreas and enhances the efficacy of insulin in the body.
  • Metformin – Categorized within the biguanideclass, it is an antihyperglycemic agent used for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Currently, it is the choicest drug adopted for the management of the condition and is prescribed worldwide.
  • Glucagon – Like peptide-1 analogs, the drug is shown to assist other treatments in the management of Type 2 diabetes. Usually, they are prescribed once on a daily basis (liraglutide) or twice by subcutaneous injection.
  • Gliptins – As the first agent of sitagliptin, it was approved by the FDA in 2006. They are majorly utilized in treating diabetes mellitus Type 2 by blocking the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4).
  • Flozins – The sodium-glucose transport protein 2 inhibitor is a type 2 diabetes medication that reabsorbs glucose in the kidney and lowers the blood sugar level.
  • Thiazolidinediones – Also referred to as glitazones, Thiazolidinediones are a group of oral anti-diabetic drugs prescribed as a remedy for Type 2 diabetes.
  • Insulin – Insulin therapy is a medication used in both Types 1 and 2 diabetes. Insulin helps regulate sugar levels in the blood and also stores excess glucose for energy.

To Conclude

Top manufacturers in the global diabetes drug market, such as Sanofi, Novo Nordisk A/S, AstraZeneca, Merck, and Eli Lilly and Company, are heavily investing in developing a pipeline of innovative drugs to discourse the unmet needs of patients. The market interprets investment activities as a capacity expansion plan with rigorous research and development (R&D) aimed at obtaining maximum growth opportunities over the upcoming years. This factor will further intensify the competition with a direct positive effect on the advent of new drugs, product extensions, as well as novel applications of products and services.