Toujeo was approved by Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in August, enabling the drug’s domestic sales to begin within the year, according to the company.

“It has been more than 10 years since Lantus was introduced, revolutionizing diabetes treatment methods around the world by enabling out-of-hospital insulin injections,” said Sanofi-Aventis Korea general manager Bae Kyung-eun.

“Sanofi has since continued its product innovation to launch Toujeo, a next-generation basal insulin that has focused on maximizing the patient’s comfort and safety,” she said.

Artificial insulin is used to treat diabetes, a chronic condition in which the body either does not produce enough insulin to break down the sugar found in foods or cannot use insulin normally. 

Diabetes can cause early death or severe complications, as high blood sugar steadily damages organs and blood vessels. Insulin products and diabetes medicines are used to treat the condition by managing blood sugar levels.

Sanofi’s new insulin offers more stabilized 24-hour blood sugar control, as it is designed to slowly release small amounts of insulin for the full 24 hours with no pronounced peak or wear-off.

Toujeo has also reduced the needed injection dosage by one-third in comparison to Lantus, enabling effective diabetes treatment with lower insulin dosages.

“Basal insulin is an essential substance needed at all times to regulate all of the body’s metabolism and it is important to develop one that acts closest to the body’s naturally occurring insulin,” said Park Cheol-young, a professor of medicine at Sungkyunkwan University and a doctor at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital.

“By more gradually releasing insulin across the body, Toujeo demonstrates more stable and prolonged blood sugar level maintenance abilities,” he said.

Equipped with upgraded properties and enhanced safety, Toujeo is set to become Sanofi’s next blockbuster insulin product which will encourage more diabetes patients to pursue insulin treatment with more ease, according to the company.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)