Suganon, a diabetes drug developed by Dong-A ST, has been released - for the first time in the overseas market - in India.

On March 18, 2019, Dong-A ST (Chairman Eom Dae-sig) announced that the India release ceremony of the Suganon diabetes treatment with its local partner Alkem Laboratories Ltd. (Chairman Basudeo N. Singh) was held on the 17th in Mumbai, India. Suganon will be marketed in India from April 1 under the local product name of Valera, which means ‘strong’ in Latin.

The release ceremony included a screening of a commemorative video for product release and a lecture on the product, with representatives and officials from both companies in attendance.

In late 2012, Dong-A ST signed a licensing-out agreement with Alkem Laboratories for the development and sale of Suganon in India and Nepal. Alkem Laboratories then completed the Phase III clinical trial last September, which was approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) in December.

Having successfully commercialized the product, Dong-A ST will supply Alkem Laboratories raw materials of the product, while Alkem Laboratories will be responsible for production, sales, and marketing in India.

Founded in 1973, Alkem Laboratories Ltd. is a leading Indian pharmaceutical company based in Mumbai. The company develops, manufactures, and sells drug substances, generics, and nutraceuticals, and ranks sixth in total sales in India. It has more than 750 products and has entered the market of more than fifty countries including the United States.

At present there are around 73 million diabetics in India, the second highest number in the world after China. The overall diabetes market in India grew by 15% last year, with the market for DPP-4 based single-agents growing by 9% to about 183 billion KRW, and that for combined agents increasing by 22% to about 312 billion KRW.

An official of Dong-A ST said, “This product release in India is the first overseas release of Suganon, which will serve as the cornerstone for its successive release in other regions. We hope to increase the sales of Suganon in overseas markets as its sales continue increasing in Korea as a flagship product of Dong-A ST.”

Dong-A ST signed licensing-out agreements for the development and sale of Suganon with Alkem, India in 2012 for the Indian and Nepalese markets, with Eurofarma of Brazil in 2014 and 2015 for the Brazilian market and seventeen other Latin American markets, and with Geropharm of Russia in 2015 for the markets of Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. Russia and Brazil are currently preparing for product authorization upon completion of the Phase III clinical trials.