'Januvia generics hit 23% market share in 2 years'

Companies see mixed fortunes

Combined prescriptions for Q3 reach KRW 6.6 billion, up 30% YoY

Generic market share rises from 17% to 23% in 1 year — Kyongbo and Hanmi’s sales soar

41 companies record under KRW 100 million in quarterly prescriptions, showing contrasting results among generics

Generic versions of the DPP-4 inhibitor class diabetes treatment ‘Januvia (sitagliptin)’ series expanded their market share to 23% just two years after launch.

 

However, analysis indicates their market penetration pace is slower than that of previous cases such as Tenelia (teneligliptin) and Galvus (vildagliptin).

 

Performance among generic manufacturers varied significantly.

 

While most generics recorded quarterly prescription sales below KRW 100 million, Kyongbo Pharmaceutical and Hanmi Pharmaceutical achieved results exceeding KRW 1 billion, strengthening their presence.

 

Januvia generics hit 23% share in 2 years — market penetration slower According to the pharmaceutical market research institution UBIST on the 29th, total outpatient prescriptions for sitagliptin monotherapy and sitagliptin/metformin combinations in Q3 this year reached KRW 28.3 billion, down 6% from KRW 30.2 billion in the same quarter last year.

 

While the sales of original products declined, generics grew.

 

Sales of the original Januvia, Janumet, and Janumet XR fell 14%, from KRW 25.1 billion in Q3 2023 to KRW 21.7 billion this year.

 

Specifically, Januvia dropped from KRW 5.8 billion to KRW 4.5 billion, and sales of Janumet/Janumet XR combined declined from KRW 19.3 billion to KRW 17.2 billion.

 

Since the launch of the generics, the originals have seen a steady downward trend.

 

Just before patent expiry in Q2 2023, total prescriptions for the Januvia series stood at KRW 37.5 billion, but after generics entered in Q4 2023, the figure fell to KRW 26.6 billion, then dropped further 18% by Q3 this year.

 

Meanwhile, generic products saw their combined prescription sales increase by 30% over the past year, rising from KRW 5.1 billion to KRW 6.6 billion.

 

Sales of Januvia generics increased from KRW 1.6 billion to KRW 1.9 billion, while Janumet and Janumet XR generics rose from KRW 3.5 billion to KRW 4.7 billion.

 

Januvia generics were released in September 2023.

 

Following the patent expiration of the long-standing market leader of the KRW 600 billion annual DPP-4 inhibitor market, many generic companies rushed to join in the competition.

 

A total of 89 companies received approval for generics, and 60 of these companies launched products.

 

The overall market share of generics expanded from 17% to 23% within a year.

 

However, the pace of the market penetration is somewhat slower compared to other DPP-4 inhibitor generics like Tenelia and Galvus.

 

Galvus and Galvusmet generics recorded a 42% market share in their first year.

 

In its second year, it further expanded its share to 47%, reaching a level similar to the original.

 

Tenelia and Tenelia M generics surpassed the original with a 54% market share in their first year.

 

This rose to 58% in their second year.

 

Sales of Hanmi·Kyongbo soar...

 

Most other companies record quarterly prescription sales under KRW 300 million Generic companies showed polarized results.

 

Only two companies recorded quarterly prescription sales exceeding KRW 1 billion, while most others fell short of even KRW 100 million.

 

Kyongbo Pharmaceutical reported KRW 1.1 billion in Q3 sales for its combination generics Janustinmet and Janustin XR, nearly doubling from KRW 600 million in the same quarter last year.

 

Cumulative prescriptions for the two products have reached KRW 4.9 billion.

 

Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s Sita and Sitamet XR posted KRW 1 billion, up 25% year-over-year, bringing cumulative prescriptions to KRW 5.8 billion since launch.

 

In contrast, most generics are underperforming.

 

Of the 60 companies that launched products, 41 (68%) posted quarterly sales below KRW 100 million, and 15 companies (25%) recorded less than KRW 300 million.

 

The average Q3 prescription per company stood at approximately KRW 110 million.

 

The reason Januvia generics are struggling to expand their influence is that the DPP-4 inhibitor class diabetes treatment market is already saturated.

 

In this space, Januvia competes with original products such as Zemiglo (gemigliptin), Trajenta (linagliptin), Tenelia (teneligliptin), Suganon (evogliptin), Galvus (vildagliptin), Onglyza (saxagliptin), Nesina (alogliptin), and Guardlet (alogliptin/metformin).

 

 Among these, Galvus, Tenelia, and Trajenta have already faced generic competition upon their patent expiry.

 

Furthermore, the DPP-4 inhibitor market has seen a decline in overall prescription volume since the emergence of SGLT-2 inhibitor class diabetes treatments like Forxiga and Jardiance.

 

In this environment, the flood of Januvia and Janumet generics has led to fierce competition and lower-than-expected sales performance.