Diabetes news yesterday indicated that seminal DPP-4 inhibitor Januvia (created by Merck and Co.) would be granted approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within a week. A nationwide survey of physicians in the US show that the greater proportion will begin to prescribe the products to their diabetic patients from the word go.
Januvia will quickly face stiff competition from Galvus (created by Novartis), another DPP-4 inhibitor, but the drug is still expected to become a multi-billion dollar earner for Merck. The new DPP-4 class of drug will be taken orally, and aims to increase the body’s own ability to power blood sugar levels. The drug will be in competition with Avandia, Actos, Metformin and new super-drug Byetta.
Almost all GPs and other medical experts surveyed will prescribe Januvia alone or with other treatments. The study was carried out by Reuters Primary Research. The drugs may be used as a replacement for Byetta, according to the survey. One expert claimed that the news came as little surprise, saying: “That’s how it (Byetta) has kind of been viewed, as the last stop before insulin.”
