Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitor Drugs Market

Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitor Drugs Market -Snapshot

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors are pills that treat type 2 diabetes. There are two medications in this group, or class, of drugs: acarbose (Precose) and miglitol (Glyset). They help keep the amount of glucose in your blood from going up too fast after you eat.

The doctor might prescribe an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor if you've recently been diagnosed with type 2 and your blood sugar tends to shoot up after a meal. If you're already taking diabetes medications and you still have high blood sugars, your doctor might want you to take an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, too.

These drugs block the breakdown of starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, and pasta, and they slow down the absorption of some sugars, such as table sugar. You take an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor with the first bite of each meal. Most people take a pill three times a day.

An alpha-glucosidase inhibitor will usually lower your A1c (the "average" of your blood sugar control over a few months) by about 0.5% to 0.8%.

If the patient also taking other diabetes medications or insulin, check with your doctor about how likely you are to have low blood sugars. If you're only taking an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, you probably won't have low blood sugars.

Alpha-glucosidase is an enzyme that is inhibited by alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs. Alpha-glucosidase helps in absorption of carbohydrates by breaking down carbohydrates into tiny sugar molecules such as glucose. The inhibition is reversible, and competitive inhibition. Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs help in delaying glucose absorption and slow the digestion of carbohydrates. This results in lower rise of glucose in the blood after meals and remains effective throughout the day.

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs help in the treatment of dumping syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Dumping syndrome is a disease in which the food in the stomach is emptied rapidly into the small intestine. This results in drawing excess of fluid from the partially digested food into the small intestine that causes palpitations, faintness, sweating, diarrhea, cramping, and nausea. Dumping syndrome normally occurs in people who consume excess of refined or simple sugar, specifically in the people who had surgery done to remove or modify the stomach. Type 2 diabetes is also known as insulin resistance due to body cells not being able to respond appropriately in the presence of hormone insulin. It is more complex than type 1 diabetes, however, it is sometimes easier to treat. Undiagnosed type 2 diabetes, may cause severe complications that include coronary artery disease and renal failure.

Growth in geriatric population across the world boosts the demand for alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs as elderly people are more prone to diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, rising disposable income increases the demand for alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs. Sedentary lifestyle of people and changing environmental conditions are the drivers of the global alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs market. Moreover, strong inheritable genetic connection in type 2 diabetes propels the market for alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs. Increasing cases in obesity and chronic obesity also leads to chances of development of type 2 diabetes, which in turn, drives the growth of the global alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs market. Increasing stomach surgeries due to stomach cancer boosts the demand for the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2015, there were 754000 deaths due to stomach cancer.

The global alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs market can be segmented on the basis of disease type, distribution channel, and region. Based on disease type, the global alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs market can be categorized into dumping syndrome and type 2 diabetes. In terms of the distribution channel, the global alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs market can be divided into online pharmacies, retail pharmacies, and hospital pharmacies.

Geographically, the global alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs market can be divided into Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Middle East & Africa. North America constituted a major share of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs market in 2016 due to increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the region. According to researches, more than 95% of the population in North America is suffering from type 2 diabetes and approximately 20% of this population is over the age of 65. Europe accounted for the next leading share of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs market in 2016 due to increasing disposable income and high investments in research and development of alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs in the region. The alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand during the forecast period owing to increasing awareness about alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs, and investments made by key players to penetrate the emerging countries of the region, especially India and China. The alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs market in Latin America and Middle East & Africa is also expected to expand during the forecast period owing to increasing government initiatives in the regions.

Key players of the global alpha-glucosidase inhibitor drugs market include Pfizer Inc. and Bayer AG.