No pharmaceutical executive with a stake in the $45 billion diabetes therapy market is going to say that drug innovation has come to an end. But there’s little doubt that the medications currently available for the disease – and there are plenty – haven’t done enough to prevent what the World Health Organization and many others now label as a global epidemic, affecting 350 million people worldwide. “It’s not the end of the drug…but if you want to help with outcomes…you need to bring something else,” says Pierre Chancel, VP, diabetes at Sanofi.
The End Of Drug Innovation In Diabetes?
Lacking revolutionary new treatment mechanisms in type 2 diabetes, pharma is relying on combinations, convenience, and beyond-the-pill services. As prices are squeezed, the winners will be those who can deliver the best-value outcomes, not necessarily those with a best-in-class drug.