Middle-East and Africa Diabetes Drugs Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The Middle-East and Africa diabetes drugs market is set to witness a CAGR of more than 6.9% during the forecast period 2022-2027. The market is estimated to reach more than USD 5.7 billion by 2027.

The COVID-19 pandemic positively impacted the Middle-East and African diabetes drugs market. Diabetes and uncontrolled hyperglycemia are risk factors for poor outcomes in patients with COVID-19, including an increased risk of severe illness or death. People with diabetes have a weaker immune system, the COVID-19 complication aggravates the condition, and the immune system gets weaker very fast. People with diabetes have more chances of getting into serious complications than normal people.

Diabetic drugs are medicines developed to stabilize and control blood glucose levels amongst people with diabetes. Diabetic drugs are commonly used to manage diabetes. Diabetic drugs have been potential candidates for treating diabetic patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventy-three million adults (20-79) were living with diabetes in the IDF MENA Region in 2021. This figure is estimated to increase to 95 million by 2030. Forty-eight million adults in the IDF MENA Region live with impaired glucose tolerance, increasing their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Diabetes was responsible for 796,000 deaths in the IDF MENA Region in 2021. USD 33 billion was spent on healthcare for people with diabetes in 2021.

The Middle-East and African regions witnessed an alarming increase in the prevalence of diabetes in recent years. The rate of diabetes is at an all-time high, mainly due to lifestyle changes. Diabetes is associated with many health complications. Patients with diabetes require many daily corrections to maintain nominal blood glucose levels, such as administering additional insulin or ingesting additional carbohydrates by monitoring their blood glucose levels.

Therefore, owing to the factors mentioned above, the studied market is anticipated to witness growth over the analysis period.

Key Market Trends

The Oral Anti-Diabetic Drugs Segment is expected to dominate the Middle East and Africa Diabetes Drugs Market

The oral antidiabetic drugs segment held the highest market share of about 9.11% in 2021, and it is expected to dominate the Middle-East and African diabetes drugs market with a revenue of around 3.9 billion.

With an increasing prevalence of Type-2 diabetes, oral antidiabetic drugs have been available internationally and are recommended for use when escalation of treatment for Type-2 diabetes is required along with lifestyle management. Oral agents are typically the first medications used in treating Type-2 diabetes due to their wide range of efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of action. Antidiabetic drugs help diabetes patients to keep their condition under control and lower the risk of diabetes complications. People with diabetes may need to take antidiabetic drugs for their whole lives to control their blood glucose levels and avoid hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Oral antidiabetic agents present the advantages of easier management and lower cost, so they became an attractive alternative to insulin with better acceptance, which enhances adherence to the treatment.

In July 2022, Zydus Lifesciences announced that it had received final approval to market Empagliflozin and Metformin Hydrochloride tablets in multiple strengths. Empagliflozin and Metformin Hydrochloride tablets are used with proper diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with Type-2 diabetes mellitus. They are also used to lower the risk of cardiovascular death in patients with Type-2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease.

Governments in the ME have identified the threat of diabetes and started to respond with various policies, initiatives, and programs. Six out of 15 countries in this region still do not have a national operational action policy for diabetes. Many countries still do not have a national strategy to reduce overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity, which are important risk factors for diabetes. Most counties have fully implemented national diabetes treatment guidelines. However, constant measures are being taken to minimize diabetic complications.

Owing to the rising rate of obesity, growing genetic factors for Type-2 diabetes, the increasing prevalence, and the factors mentioned above, it is likely that the market may continue to increase.

Saudi Arabia is Expected to Dominate the Middle East and African Diabetes Drugs Market

Saudi Arabia held the highest market share in the Middle-East and African diabetes drugs market in 2021, and it is also expected to register a CAGR of around 12.1% in the forecast period 2022-2027.

More than one in ten people in Saudi Arabia are now living with diabetes, and the prevalence of the disease is expected to almost double by 2045, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) report. The IDF report mentioned that 4.27 million people in Saudi Arabia, which has a population of about 34.8 million, have diabetes, while 1.86 million people have the disease; however, they are yet to be diagnosed. This figure is expected to increase to 5.6 million by 2030 and 7.5 million by 2045.

The growing incidence, prevalence, and progressive nature of the disease have encouraged the development of new drugs to provide additional treatment options for diabetic patients. Non-insulin treatments, used as first-line therapies for patients who have Type-2 diabetes, currently capture more than half the sales in the antidiabetic market. Over the past decade, two important classes have entered this market: dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2). Oral antidiabetic agents work in various ways to reduce blood sugar levels in people with Type-2 diabetes; some stimulate insulin secretion by the pancreas, and others improve the responsiveness of cells to insulin or prevent glucose production by the liver. Others slow the absorption of glucose after meals.

There have been constant innovations and studies relating to drug molecules or formulation technologies. For instance, Hanmi Pharmaceutical, in September 2021, announced that its new, long-acting diabetes biologic drug, efpeglenatide (GLP-1 RA), was shown to significantly reduce incidences of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and kidney disease in the results of its global, large-scale clinical trial with more than 4,000 patients adding to the efficacy of the drug.

Saudi Government, in July 2022, announced that Saudi Arabia had seen growing demand for quality healthcare services spurred by changes, including an increasingly aging population and a growing prevalence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and obesity. The government and private sector are both involved in working on healthcare entities, certifications, and regulations. The government is taking steps to have 100% of Saudi citizens covered by insurance and is working toward cost-effectively ensuring affordability, access, and quality digital healthcare and primary care.

Owing to the abovementioned factors, the market is expected to grow during the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

The Middle-East and African diabetes drugs market is consolidated, with major manufacturers, namely Eli Lilly, Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, and AstraZeneca, holding a presence in the Middle-East and African region. A major share of the market is held by manufacturers concomitant with strategy-based M&A operations and constantly entering the market to generate new revenue streams and boost existing ones. These measures taken by the market players are expected to ensure a competitive marketplace, forcing the companies to experiment with more new technologies.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support

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