Brazil's type 2 diabetes drug market will grow to $834 million by 2013

The type 2 diabetes drug market in Brazil will grow from $417 million in 2008 to $834 million in 2013, according to a news report from research and advisory firm Decision Resources. The projected 15 percent annual growth rate is attributed to a growing prevalent and drug-treated population, increased use of new generation antidiabetics such as Merck's Januvia (sitagliptin), Novartis's Galvus (vildagliptin), Sanofi-Aventis's Lantus (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] Injection), and Novo Nordisk's Levemir (insulin detemir), and the launch of several novel agents like Amylin/Eli Lilly/Alkermes' Byetta LAR (exenatide).

"Throughout our forecast period, sales will be driven by the uptake of newer generation antidiabetics, including dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors - such as Januvia and Galvus, as well as fixed-dose combinations containing these agents - and insulin analogues such as Lantus and Levemir. The anticipated launch of Byetta LAR, which offers greater weight loss and better efficacy in reducing glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) but requires less frequent dosing than Byetta, will also drive sales. Because these drugs have no generic competitors in Brazil and enjoy premium pricing, a slight increase in use will drive rapid growth in revenue," stated Jing Wu, an analyst at Decision Resources.

The new Emerging Markets report, entitled Type 2 Diabetes in Brazil, also finds that diagnosis rates of type 2 diabetes in Brazil are far lower than those in major pharmaceutical markets (USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and Japan). One of the key reasons for this is low disease awareness and poor understanding of type 2 diabetes symptoms among patients, which prevents them from seeking treatment.

"This challenge in diagnosis rates of type 2 diabetes in Brazil is a great opportunity for Western drug companies. Western drug companies should reach out and work with the Brazilian government and policy makers to launch programs that raise disease awareness and promote patient education among the general population in Brazil. These programs can also provide patients with more information on the latest novel therapeutic agents and lead to increased drug sales by multinational drug companies," added Ms Wu.