Sanofi launches new insulin Toujeo in the UK
pharmafile | August 4, 2015 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Sales and Marketing | Lantus, Sanofi, biosimilars, diabetes, hypoglycaemia, insulin, toujeo
Sanofi’s new insulin Toujeo is now available for clinicians to prescribe in the UK.
The French firm is looking to Toujeo to recoup sales it will lose once it top-selling insulin product Lantus comes of patent later this year. It follows the drug’s earlier approval in the US, Canada, the European Union and Japan.
Sanofi last year earned revenues of $8.43 billion from Lantus, which lost its US patent protection in February. In Europe a biosimilar version of Lantus, manufactured by the Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim diabetes alliance, has been approved by the European Commission. But the biosimilar has been blocked from coming to market due to an existing patent infringement lawsuit between Sanofi, Lilly and Boehringer.
The once-daily basal insulin treatment gives adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus another option to help manage their condition. Sanofi says that when compared to the company’s existing Lantus treatment, Toujeo offers similar performance in reducing blood glucose with a lower incidence of hypoglycaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. In clinical trials Toujeo had a glucose lowering effect that lasted beyond 24 hours, and low variations in blood sugar levels.
It’s estimated that there are currently 3.3 million people in the UK diagnosed with diabetes, a figure which is predicted to rise to five million people by 2025. More than two-thirds of adults with diabetes who take insulin do not meet the NICE target for blood glucose control, which raises their risk of potentially avoidable complications including amputation, blindness and renal disease.
Dr David Williams, medical director for Sanofi UK, says: “The availability of Toujeo in the UK is a significant milestone for Sanofi as we expand our portfolio of medicines for patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and reinforces our commitment to continue improving the quality of diabetes care.”
Professor Melanie Davies, professor of diabetes medicine at the University of Leicester, says: “This new basal insulin is an additional treatment option for doctors to help manage patients who are not currently able to reach optimal glycaemic control.
“Hypoglycaemia is one of the most frequent adverse events experienced by people treated with insulin and fear of these events can prevent some patients administering appropriate insulin doses and can even lead to discontinuation of treatment. The consequence may be poor blood glucose control and an increased risk of long-term complications.”
Joel Levy
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