Type 2 diabetes agents - DPP-IV inhibitors - will be main beneficiaries of pioglitazone problems

Given the suspension of use in France and Germany and ongoing deliberations at the US Food and and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency on cancer risk concerns (The Pharma Letters passim), use of Japanese drug major Takeda’s (TYO: 4502) blockbuster type 2 diabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone) will continue to decrease, but most expect to increase their prescribing of DPP-IV inhibitors and GLP-1 agonists, according to a new report available on companiesandmarkets.com.

Key opinion leaders believe that DPP-IV inhibitors will be the main class to benefit following the June 2011 suspension of pioglitazone use in France and Germany because of a link with bladder cancer the report noted.

Class use varies greatly among the seven major markets. Pioglitazone is still highly used in the USA and Italy, but DPP-IV inhibitors have overtaken pioglitazone by share in the other markets. GLP-1 agonists are most used in the large US market with 11% of patients.