Diabetes Rxing in China and S Korea

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors are prescribed more commonly for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in South Korea than in China, and in earlier lines of therapy, according to surveyed physicians in these countries carried out by advisory firm Decision Resources. At the time the survey was conducted, two such oral agents were available in South Korea – US drug giant Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) Januvia (sitagliptin) and Swiss major Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) Galvus (vildagliptin), while only Januvia was available in China.

Decision Resources’ new Emerging Markets Physician & Payer Forum report, titled Oral Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes - Physician and Payer Perspectives on the Dynamics in the Chinese and South Korean Markets, explores the implications of the fact that DPP-IV inhibitors do not currently appear on China’s National Reimbursement Drug List (last updated in 2009, prior to the launch of any drug from this class) and therefore experience very low uptake.

Significant co-pays main reason for non-prescribing