Global Liraglutide Market Trends

With 2018 sales at $2.7 billion, Liraglutide generated revenue for Novo Nordisk equivalent to almost half of the drugmaker’s $5.7 billion net profit worldwide. The Danish pharma company managed to fend off efforts by Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. to sell a generic equivalent, entering into a legal settlement in March 2019 that bars the competitor from selling the copy until 2023.

Liraglutide formulation was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010 and accounted for $418 million in sales that year. By the end of 2012, worldwide sales rose to $1.7 billion. The average retail price for Liraglutide formulation is more than $1,100 a month. By comparison, the average monthly retail price for injectable diabetes drug Byetta (exenatide), a similar drug manufactured by competitor AstraZeneca PLC, is about $905. Both drugs work to lower blood sugar by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).

Liraglutide formulation is part of a class of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists. According to Novo Nordisk’s 2018 annual report, the company leads in sales in this class with 46 percent of the value market share. The company’s newer Type 2 diabetes drug in the class is Ozempic, which accounted for 7 percent of the market share by the end of 2018.

Liraglutide Market Value (million USD)

In June 2019, the company received FDA approval to expand Liraglutide formulation’s label to allow for its use in children and adolescents aged 10-17 with Type 2 diabetes. Novo Nordisk completed a drug trial for this indication in August 2018 and submitted the results to European regulators as well.