Diabetes drug Januvia's patent protection ends; more generic versions coming soon

8 Jul 2022 , 03:01 PM

Januvia, a popular brand of diabetes drug from Merck’s, is seeing its patent protection coming to an end. The chemical name of Januvia is Sitagliptin. This means that generic versions of this drug will come in the markets soon. When  a company loses patenet protection for its drug, any company can launch a similar drug with the same components. These drugs that are launched once the patent on a patented drug expires are known as generic versions of the drug. Patent protection is awarded to a company that first invents a drug, for a limited period of time.

Januvia is priced at Rs 45 per day of therapy. Its generic versions are likely to be priced at Rs 8 to 10 per day of therapy. This will be a significant price decline. So those suffering from diabetes and those who need this drug will benefit greatly. Companies that are expected to launch the generic version of this drug soon include Drr. Reddy’s, Glenmark, Sun Pharma etc. Januvia is mainly used by type-2 diabetes patients.