Lupin Limited is an international pharmaceutical company, which announced today that it has acquired three anti-diabetes trademarks from Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH: GIBTULIO, GIBTULIO MET, and AJADUO. This acquisition aims for Lupin to have a bigger share in India’s diabetes market, with the consideration of the company’s continued focus on health care through innovative solutions.
Trademarks such as GIBTULIO (empagliflozin), GIBTULIO MET (empagliflozin + metformin), and AJADUO (empagliflozin + linagliptin) are among many other medicines belonging to a novel class of oral anti-diabetic drugs that includes sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors. They have the purpose of improving glycemic control in adults suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus along with diet and exercise. The drugs also provide cardiovascular benefits, and empagliflozin is approved to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death in patients with type 2 diabetes and to lower the risk of heart failure and hospitalization for those with chronic kidney disease.
Since 2016, Lupin has been co-marketing GIBTULIO and GIBTULIO MET and AJADUO since 2018 in India through co-marketing agreements with Boehringer Ingelheim. Under the new agreement, the trademark rights of these products are to be transferred to Lupin by March 2025.
Lupin Managing Director, Nilesh Gupta said the company is committed to high-quality healthcare solutions. “This acquisition would strengthen Lupin’s diabetes portfolio and help the company in the mission of making drugs accessible to Indian patients at an affordable price.” “This acquisition is strategic in enhancing our diabetes portfolio and reinforces our commitment to providing innovative, affordable medications for patients throughout India,” he said.
India has many public health concerns associated with diabetes, about 80 million adults aged over 18 are suffering from diabetes and an additional 25 million people are suffering from pre-diabetes. With such high prevalence rates, a very small percentage of diabetic patients are aware of the illness which means that over half the numbers affected by diabetes have never been diagnosed. It also poses a higher risk for diseases such as heart attack, stroke and kidney failure.
Rajeev Sibal, President of India Region Formulations at Lupin noted that there is an increasing need for better diabetes treatment and management. He emphasized that the demand for access to affordable and effective medicines needs to improve. This acquisition puts Lupin in a better position to respond to the diabetes epidemic and provide critical solutions to millions of patients across India.
