Fewer generics enter market after linagliptin's patent expiry this August

When Sitagliptin went off patent, nearly 200 brands were vying for a share of the market

Linagliptin, an anti-diabetic drug from German firm Boehringer Ingelheim, lost patent cover in August 2023. But the number of generic brands that were launched after the loss of its patent cover is relatively lesser (around 63 brands) compared to what was seen after the patent expiry of other diabetic drugs, such as dapagliflozin and sitagliptin. 
 

When sitagliptin went off patent, close to 200 brands were vying for the share of the market. Similarly for dapagliflozin, over 80 generic brands were launched within a short time in 2021 and the count hit 156 brands in 2022. For vildagliptin, too, around 150 brands were launched in 2020, and the total stood at over 200 in 2022.
 

Some of the pharma firms who have entered the branded generics space after linagliptin's patent expiry are Lupin, Cipla, Alkem, Zydus Lifesciences, Mankind Pharma, and Torrent Pharmaceuticals, among others. Sheetal Sapale, vice president, commercial, Pharmarack said, “Linagliptin plain has shown increase in quantity market share in the last 5 years – from 7 per cent in 2020 to 10 per cent share of the gliptins class of diabetes drugs. However, the share has remained relatively stable in the last 5 months – at around 11 per cent.”

The anti-diabetic therapy contributes around 9 per cent to the Indian Pharmaceutical Market and as of September 2023, it has grown by 3.9 per cent in the last 12 months. Volume-wise, however, the market shrunk 0.2 per cent.