Boehringer sees diabetes as driver for future success

While Boehringer Ingelheim is still enjoying very strong sales of its chronic obstructive pulmonary disease drug Spiriva (tiotropium), the German privately-owned major is looking at diabetes as its next long-term growth driver.

Among the financial results for full-year 2015 unveiled by the company at its annual press conference in Ingelheim yesterday (The Pharma Letter April 19), the most eye-catching figures related to BI’s diabetes portfolio. Sales jumped around 49% in currency-adjusted terms to 1.1 billion euros ($1.25 billion), and most of that rise was due to Trajenta (linagliptin) and Jentadueto (linagliptin/metformin), which together brought in 909 million euros, up 42.9%.

However, the shining star in diabetes for the company is Jardiance (empagliflozin), its oral, once-daily, selective sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor which is partnered with Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY). When asked by The Pharma Letter about sales of the latter, chairman Andreas Barner would only note that “we can see very impressive development of market share of Jardiance, next year we’ll give you detailed figures.”