08-05-2025
Generic versions of key diabetic drug in market double in a month
In less than two months after diabetes drug
Empagliflozin
went off patent, Indian branded generic players have crowded the market with their versions of the product leading to a month-on-month doubling in the number of players and brands flooding the market in April.
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Nearly 147 brands of the drug and 37 companies are in the market now, up from 86 brands and 19 companies in March, according to data from industry tracker and market researcher PharmaTrac.
Doctors said that an increasing number of anti-diabetic drugs going off patent-with Empagliflozin being the latest-is good for patients and medical practitioners as it makes anti diabetes drugs more affordable in India where cases of diabetes are rising.
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Empagliflozin-which was Boehringer Ingelheim's innovator drug sold under the brand name Jardiance-went off patent mid-March. It is used to improve glucose control in people with Type 2 diabetes.
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"With almost 150 brands and 40 companies jumping in the Empagliflozin off patent opportunity and volume sales picking up steeply in the last two months, every player in the IPM (Indian pharmaceutical market) looks like geared up to make the most of this opportunity," said Sheetal Sapale, vice president, commercial, PharmaTrac.
"Most of the innovator molecules (used to treat Type 2 diabetes) in SGLT 2 (Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter-2) and DPP4 i (Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors) have gone off patent... creating many affordable options available to eligible Indian masses through
branded generics
," she added.
Empagliflozin is an
SGLT-2 inhibitor
. Others in the same group include dapagliflozin-whose patent expired a couple years ago leading to nearly 200 generic brands coming into the market.
Companies such as
Alkem Laboratories
,
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals
and
Mankind Pharma
launched their versions of Empagliflozin, and slashed prices to about ₹5 per unit, which is 80-90% lower than the innovator's prices.
"Ever since dapagliflozin has gone off patent, many more people have access to it has become cheaper. Empagliflozin is also similar to a good medicine for sugar, gives some protection to the heart and kidney too," said Dr David Chandy, director-endocrinology & diabetology at Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre.
More such molecules going off patent increases the reach to larger populations. "Earlier when only the innovators had these molecules, maybe 2-5% of India's diabetic population could afford it, now the entire diabetic population can afford it," said Chandy.
Empagliflozin is a ₹745 crore market today with plains contributing to almost 45% in terms of value as well as quantity. Empagliflozin plain and Empagliflozin plus Linagliptin contribute nearly 80% of this.
"In the long-term, more and more affordable medication options are good for patients with the cases of diabetes spiralling in the country and doctors have more ammunition or options for treatment now compared to 5-10 years back," said Chandy. "What will be interesting in the diabetes scenario is that in the next six months, once semaglutide goes off patent, there will be a paradigm shift for diabetes treatment once it is available at a low price," he said.
