GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Market, By Drug Class (Exenatide, Liraglutide, Dulaglutide, Lixisenatide, Albiglutide, Semaglutide), By Route of Administration (Parenteral and Oral), By Application (Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, Liver Cirrhosis, Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis, Others), By Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacies, Retail Pharmacies, Online Pharmacies), By Geography (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa)

Published In : Jul 2024

Code : CMI4632

Pages :170

Formats :

Excel and PDF

Industry : Pharmaceutical

Market Challenges: High development cost of GLP-1 drugs

The high development cost of GLP-1 drugs can hamper the global GLP-1 receptor agonist market growth. Developing a new drug and bringing it to the market requires huge investments. On average, it takes 10-15 years and costs over US$ 2.6 billion to develop a new prescription drug and bring it to market, according to estimates from Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. This long development timeline and high investment requirement poses significant challenges for pharmaceutical companies, especially small and mid-size companies with limited financial resources. Clinical trials needed to prove the safety and efficacy of new drugs is a lengthy and expensive process. It usually involves three phases of human trials including thousands of subjects. Manufacturing of biologics such as GLP-1 drugs under good manufacturing practices and ensuring consistency between multiple large-scale batches also increases the production costs. Additional costs include extensive research, formulation development, preclinical testing, regulatory reviews and approvals. With such a heavy cost burden, companies aim to maximize profits by maintaining higher prices of approved GLP-1 drugs, which impacts their affordability and accessibility for patients globally.

Market Opportunities: Combination therapy drug development

Combination therapy drug development can offer opportunity for global GLP-1 receptor agonist market growth. As researchers gain deeper understandingabout diabetes and related conditions, these are discovering that targeting multiple pathways simultaneously can produce better health outcomes than acting on any one pathway alone. Combination therapies allow for lower dosing of individual drugs, reducing side effects while achieving optimal clinical results.

Current research trends indicate that developing fixed-dose combination therapies of GLP-1 receptor agonists with other classes of antidiabetic drugs could help more patients achieve glycemic control. In 2021, according to a report published by International Diabetes Federation, only around half of people with diabetes globally meet treatment targets for blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol. Combining GLP-1 agents with existing first-line therapies has shown promise in better managing multiple facets of diabetes in single pill formulations. This reduces the treatment burden on patients and makes regimen adherence less challenging.