Eli Lilly, Sanofi-Aventis and Novo Nordisk diabetes drugs ‘to drive growth’

A research and advisory firm for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry has suggested drugs from Eli Lilly, Sanofi-Aventis and Novo Nordisk will drive growth in the market to treat type 1 diabetes.

The report from Decision Resources claims there will be a shift away from the use of regular human insulins and neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin to rapid-acting insulins like Humalog from Eli Lilly and Novarapid/Novolog from Novo Nordisk.

It also sees a robust place in the market for longer-acting insulin analogues like Lantus from Sanofi-Aventis and Levemir from Novo Nordisk.

The research puts the annual growth of the market at a “modest” 1.2 per cent through 2017 as a result of the saturation of effective and well-established insulin-based therapies.

Caroline Gates, an analyst at Decision Resources, said: “Experts that we interviewed unanimously agree that the treatment of type 1 diabetes is characterized by a high level of unmet need for therapies that can halt the destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic-beta cells.”

She added the use of immunomodulators will be tempered by high prices, safety concerns and the small number of suitable patients, despite their potential to preserve beta-cell function.

In March 2008, a study published in the Lancet found Humalog and Lantus to be equally effective, Reuters reports.