Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela) Insulin Market (Rapid Acting, Short Acting, Pre-Mixed, Long Acting, Type I & II Diabetes, Analogs, Recombinant) Analysis And Segment Forecasts To 2020

Industry Insights

Insulin is a body hormone and is an internal secretion of the pancreas formed by a group of cells referred to as the islets of Langerhans. The primary functions of this hormone are to enable the entry of glucose into the cells and provide energy and to help maintain blood glucose levels at appropriate levels. Insulin is administered to patients suffering from type I and type II diabetes. Type I diabetes was previously known as juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes and is marked by the body’s inability to produce insulin. Patients with type II diabetes may also use insulin in cases where the body’s demand for insulin surpasses insulin production. Latin America insulin market is growing at a significant rate and is expected to capture the largest market share in the global insulin market in terms of revenue. Increasing ubiquity of diabetes (both type I and type II) is expected to be the primary driver of this market during the forecast period. According to the estimates of the International Diabetes Federation, the global prevalence of diabetes is expected to increase from 366 million in 2011 to 552 million by 2030 and such a rapid growth in prevalence is expected to have a high impact on market growth over the forecast period. The introduction of regulations in favor of insulin manufacturers in the Latin America region has encouraged various multinational companies to enter into Latin America for establishing production units, which has significantly helped the market growth. Some of the other drivers of this market include growing prevalence of lifestyle induced disorders such as obesity, increasing the global base of geriatric population and R&D initiatives aimed at developing new products.    

Product Insights

Key product segments analyzed in this report include premixed insulin, premixed analog, rapid acting analog, long-acting analog, short-acting insulin, and intermediate insulin. Insulin acting analog retained the maximum market share in terms of revenue share in 2013 as high prices of long-acting analogs contributed maximum towards revenue and launch of new products in various Latin American markets has captured the market. Lantus by Sanofi Aventis influenced the overall long-acting market in 2013, however, a setback is expected due to its patent expiration in 2015.

Product (on the basis of source) Insights

Various insulin products are derived from different sources. The insulin market can be categorized on the basis of source of the product as human recombinant insulin and analogs. Analogs possess a maximum market share in terms of revenue in 2013 due to deeper market penetration of various new products such as Tresiba by Novo Nordisk.

Application Insights

Key applications of insulin include type I and other diabetes and type II diabetes. Type I diabetes, previously known as juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes has grabbed maximum market share in terms of revenue in 2013. Increasing usage of insulin for the treatment of type I diabetes along with the launch of new drugs has helped this segment to capture large market share.

Regional Insights

Key countries analyzed in this study include Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru. Brazil dominated the overall Latin America insulin market in terms of revenue owing to the various subsidies provided by the local government as these medicines are affordable to common patients in Brazil. Moreover, funds provided by the government for the development of biosimilar drugs locally have fuelled the growth of this market. The market share of Latin America is expected to face tough competition from the Asia Pacific region due to emerging economies such as India and China.

Competitive Insights

The Latin America insulin market is oligopolistic in nature and is dominated by players such as Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Company and Sanofi Aventis. Some of the other market players include Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Oramed Pharmaceuticals, Nanjing Xinbai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck & Co. Inc., Biocon, along with various local companies producing biosimilars such as Sandoz, Amega Biotech, Biosidus, Sinergium Biotech, Probiomed, and EMS Farma.