The Japanese type 2 diabetes (T2D) therapeutics market is highly competitive with several generic, branded and biosimilar products available. Among the various types of therapies, the leading class of drugs are GLP-1R agonists, DPP-4 inhibitors and SGLT-2 inhibitors. Considering the intense competition and the growth opportunities, the digital support available for T2D patients through branded and unbranded channels is limited, finds GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

According to GlobalData’s Pharmaceutical Intelligence Center, the market size of T2D in Japan is estimated to grow from US$3.3bn in 2020 to US$5.1bn in 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4%.

Leading T2D therapies by sales in Japan include Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma’s Trulicity and EquMet, Takeda Pharmaceutical’s Nesina, Ono Pharmaceutical’s Glactiv, Daiichi Sankyo’s Tenelia, Astellas Pharma’s Suglat and Sujanu, and Eli Lilly’s Jardiance.

Venkat Kartheek Vale, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The T2D digital marketing space in Japan provides current and future players with opportunities to expand their digital presence and raise awareness about their brands. T2D is a disease with increasing prevalence, progressive nature and considerably high unmet needs, thus demanding the right treatment information and treatment support for better disease management.”

GlobalData’s ‘Digital Marketing Intelligence’ identified branded websites for AstraZeneca’s ‘dm-exenatide.jp’ and Eli Lilly’s ‘diabetes.co.jp’; and unbranded websites for Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp’s ‘dminfo.jp’, Sanofi’s ‘dm-town.com’, Novo Nordisk’s ‘club-dm.jp’, and Boehringer Ingelheim / Eli Lilly’s ‘dounaru-dm.jp’.

An analysis of traffic over the last 18 months (March 2020 to November 2020 vs. June 2019 to February 2020) revealed that Eli Lilly’s branded website ‘diabetes.co.jp’, which supports multiple T2D products, and unbranded websites Sanofi’s ‘dm-town.com’ and Novo Nordisk’s ‘club-dm.jp’ received more than two million visits, whereas AstraZeneca’s branded website ‘dm-exenatide.jp’ received significantly less traffic.

Mr Vale concludes: “The T2D treatment landscape in Japan is mature with several medications available for patients. However, the digital marketing space has not evolved in line with the available therapies and does not offer comprehensive digital offerings to patients. This presents a huge opportunity for improvement by existing and new players. The lack of branded support from most of the leading players provides opportunities to design effective branded digital strategies and allows existing and future players to maintain a continuous relationship with patients and ensure effective management of their condition.”