New Treatments Needed to Support Rising Prevalence of Diabetic Gastroparesis

Wednesday 18 April 2012, Amsterdam

The drug pipeline for the treatment of diabetic gastroparesis is not strong enough to support the ever-growing prevalence of the disease, leaving room for new market entrants, the Diabetic Gastroparesis Therapeutics - Pipeline Assessment and Market Forecasts to 2019 report has found.

The report discovered a high level of unmet need in the diabetic gastroparesis therapeutics market, which can only be fulfilled by new drugs offering better efficacy and safety profiles combined with a low cost of therapy.

The prevalence of diabetes is rapidly increasing on a global scale, with numbers expected to reach 366 m by 2030. Approximately 5-12% of diabetes patients suffer from gastroparesis, indicating that an increase in the prevalence of diabetes will subsequently increase cases of gastroparesis. This will result in an increased usage of drug therapy, which will in turn create opportunities for companies to increase their offering in the growing diabetic gastroparesis market.

The report found that the existing treatment options for diabetic gastroparesis are not meeting market demand and that there is a high level of unmet need in terms of safety and efficacy. The market is currently served by metoclopramide, including the generic version and the oral disintegrating tablet (ODT) formulation of metoclopramide (Metozolv ODT), and other off-label therapies such as erythromycin, Botox and cisapride. Metoclopramide carries a black box warning due to serious adverse drug reaction (tardive dyskinesia), while off-label drugs such as cisapride are no longer available in the US because of associated safety concerns.

Furthermore, the diabetic gastroparesis pipeline is weak, with only five molecules in total and all of them in the early stages of clinical development (either Phase I or II). These pipeline molecules are therefore unlikely to impact the future market until at least the next decade.

Without investment from pharmaceutical companies, there will be a continued dependence on the use of generics and market growth in this area will be restricted. The report estimates that the value of the diabetic gastroparesis therapeutics market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of just 2.0% over the next eight years, increasing from US$87 m in 2011 to just US$102 m by 2019; this is despite the expected increase in the prevalence of diabetes in the seven major countries (US, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Japan) from 61.4 million in 2011 to 70.6 m by 2019.

The report is an essential source of insight into global diabetic gastroparesis therapeutics, providing actionable analysis on the key trends affecting the market, including pipeline products. The report also provides insights into the prevalent competitive landscape and key players expected to significantly alter the market positioning of the current market leaders. This report was built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis by conducted by a of industry experts.