The current treatments for hypoglycemia (also known as low blood sugar) are meeting practitioners’ needs well, and there are very few areas of improvement, according to key opinion leaders (KOLs) interviewed by GlobalData. The leading data and analytics company noted that the biggest issue KOLs want addressing was the role insulin therapies play in the onset of hypoglycemia, and preventative measures such as blood glucose monitoring and insulin management were of utmost importance.

GlobalData’s report, ‘Hypoglycemia Global Market Forecast and Analysis’, reveals that the market is expected to almost completely transition from traditional injectable glucagon that requires refrigeration to nasal glucagon or liquid-stable injectable  formulations, with approvals for these innovations expected before 2030 in the seven major markets*.

Samisha Khangaonkar, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Nasal and liquid-stable glucagon are expected to meet previous unmet needs such as ease of administration and convenience. As a result, there is limited opportunity for new entries into the pipeline and the focus should be on either prevention or non-diabetic hypoglycemia patients.”

Hypoglycemia is primarily observed in diabetic patients that are receiving insulin therapy. It occurs in instances where a patient’s blood glucose is inadequately tracked and blood sugar levels are allowed to drop too low as a result of excess exogenous insulin, a lack of available glucose, increased physical activity, or alcohol consumption. However, there are many digital solutions available. In France, for example, over 80% of T1D patients are prescribed a glucose monitoring device and that number is expected to continue to increase, according to KOLs.

Khangaonkar continues: “In an age of digitalization in healthcare, there should be no opportunity for patients to develop hypoglycemia through accidental or poor use of insulin therapies. Increasing the widespread use of digital blood glucose monitoring will allow patients to catch hypoglycemia before it becomes severe. For type 1 diabetes (T1D), the drive toward closed-loop pumps — an artificial pancreas that allow patients to monitor their blood glucose levels using their smartphone and automatically adjust glucose delivery — provide an opportunity to use glucagon to actively manage hypoglycemia.”

Hypoglycemia can also be observed in non-diabetic patients, including post-bariatric hypoglycemia (PBH) and congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) patients.

Khangaonkar adds: “Both PBH and CHI patients are rarely treated with glucagon, due to the specific origins of their disease, and there are currently no targeted therapies approved for either indication. GlobalData’s research suggests that it is highly likely that these unmet needs will be met because the lack of opportunities in the diabetic hypoglycemia space may lead drug developers towards the non-diabetic hypoglycemia market.”

* 7MM: The US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and Japan