On 16 September 2026, EVA Pharma for Industry and Cigalah Healthcare Company announced they had strengthened their partnership to distribute TriGutirek XR (empagliflozin / linagliptin / metformin hydrochloride, extended release) in Saudi Arabia. EVA's newsroom calls TriGutirek XR the first fixed-dose combination tablet containing these three active ingredients to be approved in the Kingdom for type 2 diabetes, in line with the product's approved medical and regulatory information.
Then, on 26 October 2026, EVA Pharma for Industry signed a cooperation agreement with United Pharmacies, a Saudi retail pharmacy chain, to supply the same product through that network. Dawaa News reported the signing with Dr Amgad Talaat, General Manager of EVA Pharma KSA, and Dr Shalaei Taha, Chief Commercial Officer of United Pharmacies.
Two deals in six weeks. One is a distributor partnership that EVA says dates back to 2008 with Cigalah. The other is a retail-chain supply agreement. Together they tell a clear commercial story: registration is not the finish line. Channel coverage is.
Naming note. Some LinkedIn summaries referred to "United Pharmaceuticals." Primary reporting from Dawaa News and the EPT Deal Tracker names the partner as United Pharmacies (صيدليات المتحدة). This article uses that name.
A note on sources. Company claims and quotes come from EVA Pharma's 16 September 2026 newsroom release and from Dawaa News's 26 October announcement write-up. SFDA listing details below (strengths, pack, listed price, manufacturer of record) are as reported by Dawaa News citing the Saudi Drug Information database. We could not complete an independent live pull of the SFDA portal record during this drafting pass, so those figures are labelled as Dawaa-reported SFDA data and should be re-checked in SDI before any client deliverable relies on them. Epidemiology is from the IDF Diabetes Atlas 11th Edition 2025 global factsheet.
What TriGutirek XR is
TriGutirek XR combines three well-known classes in one extended-release tablet:
- Empagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor (helps the kidneys pass more glucose into urine)
- Linagliptin, a DPP-4 inhibitor (supports incretin pathways that help regulate insulin and glucagon in a glucose-dependent way)
- Metformin hydrochloride, a long-standing foundation therapy for type 2 diabetes (mainly reduces hepatic glucose production and improves insulin sensitivity)
Fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) exist to simplify regimens when a physician has already decided those components are appropriate. They are not automatically right for every patient. Kidney function, heart failure status, genital infection risk, gastrointestinal tolerance, dose flexibility and concomitant medicines all matter. Prescribing stays with the treating physician and the approved label.
The same three-class combination exists internationally as an originator product. In the United States, the FDA approved Boehringer Ingelheim / Lilly's Trijardy XR (empagliflozin, linagliptin and metformin hydrochloride extended-release) on 27 January 2020. EVA's Saudi claim is narrower and careful: first FDC of these three actives approved in Saudi Arabia, not "first in the world."
What EVA and Cigalah said on 16 September 2026
According to EVA Pharma's newsroom:
- The agreement strengthens distribution of TriGutirek XR in Saudi Arabia.
- EVA will prioritise local manufacturing of TriGutirek XR at its research and manufacturing complex in Sudair Industrial City.
- That complex is described as planned to localise 150 medicines in the Kingdom, tied to Vision 2030 localisation and pharmaceutical security goals.
- The signing in Jeddah was attended by Yaser Yousef Naghi, CEO of Cigalah Healthcare Company, and Dr Riad Armanious, CEO of EVA Pharma, on the sidelines of the Saudi Industrial Forum.
- EVA states the commercial relationship with Cigalah goes back to 2008.
- EVA Pharma for Industry is described as registered in Saudi Arabia as a local pharmaceutical manufacturer.
Dr Armanious is quoted on building pharmaceutical capabilities that combine research, local manufacturing, quality and supply chain, aligned with Saudi institutions. Mr Naghi is quoted on supporting availability of approved treatment options that respond to healthcare-sector needs.
What the United Pharmacies agreement adds
Dawaa News, dated around 29 October 2026 on site and describing a 26 October Riyadh announcement, reports that the United Pharmacies deal aims to make TriGutirek XR available through that chain's pharmacies as EVA approaches opening its industrial complex in the Kingdom. The EPT Deal Tracker summarises the same: retail channel on top of the September Cigalah distribution agreement, which remains in place.
Important gaps in the public announcements:
- No disclosed deal value
- No branch count or geographic coverage commitment
- No volume targets
- No statement that Cigalah is replaced
For commercial competitors and for EVA itself, that means the visible signal is intent to cover retail, not a quantified share grab.
SFDA listing details as reported by Dawaa News
Dawaa News reports that the Saudi Food and Drug Authority drug database lists TriGutirek in two extended-release strengths:
- Empagliflozin 10 mg / linagliptin 5 mg / metformin hydrochloride 1000 mg
- Empagliflozin 25 mg / linagliptin 5 mg / metformin hydrochloride 1000 mg
Further Dawaa-reported SFDA fields:
- Prescription-only status
- Shelf life 24 months
- Storage not above 30 degrees Celsius
- Pack of 30 tablets
- Listed price SAR 230.30 for both strengths
- Manufacturer of record currently EVA Pharma for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies in Egypt
- Marketing role for EVA Pharma for Industry registered in Saudi Arabia
Verification status: these points are attributed to Dawaa News's reading of SFDA/SDI data. Re-confirm in the live Saudi Drug Information system before using them in a proposal, pricing model or regulatory memo.
Even with that caveat, the commercial read is useful. A listed private-market pack price around SAR 230 for a 30-tablet FDC sets an anchor for pharmacy economics, patient out-of-pocket discussions where insurance does not fully cover, and comparisons with multi-tablet regimens built from separate SGLT2, DPP-4 and metformin SKUs.
Why Saudi diabetes makes this a volume category
The IDF Diabetes Atlas 11th Edition 2025 global factsheet reports for Saudi Arabia:
- Adult population (20-79 years): 24,983,100
- Adults with diabetes (20-79): 5,344,600
- Age-standardised diabetes prevalence (20-79): 23.1%
- Proportion of undiagnosed diabetes (20-79): 43.6%
- Diabetes-related expenditure per person with diabetes (20-79): USD 1,372.5
- Diabetes-related deaths (20-79): 8,038
About one in five adults, on an age-standardised basis, lives with diabetes. More than five million adults are estimated to have the disease. Roughly two in five of them are undiagnosed. That is a large treated and still-to-be-diagnosed pool for oral therapies, injectables and devices.
FDCs compete inside an already crowded oral space. Metformin remains foundational. SGLT2 inhibitors and DPP-4 inhibitors are established. GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual agonists have reshaped conversations on obesity and cardiorenal risk. An oral triple FDC will not "solve" Saudi diabetes. It will compete for patients whose physicians want those three oral mechanisms without three bottles, often after dual therapy is not enough, and often alongside lifestyle and comorbidity management.
For related BioNixus work on metabolic demand in the Kingdom, see our GLP-1 physician survey in Saudi Arabia and our Saudi Arabia obesity market page. For how public purchasing works, see How to read a NUPCO tender list.
Localisation is part of the access story
EVA's public line links TriGutirek XR to Sudair manufacturing and to a plan to localise 150 medicines. Saudi policy has been pushing pharmaceutical localisation for years, including priority lists and tender preferences discussed in industry forums. A product that starts as Egypt-made and is marketed by a Saudi-registered EVA entity, with a stated path to Sudair production, sits inside that narrative.
Commercial teams should separate three clocks:
- Regulatory registration (already claimed)
- Reliable private-channel supply (Cigalah + United Pharmacies announcements)
- Local commercial manufacturing (stated priority, not the same as "already producing in Sudair")
Dawaa News makes that distinction explicitly: announcing local manufacturing plans is not proof that commercial production at the new site has started. Site transfers need their own regulatory steps.
For originator and generic rivals, the risk is not only a new SKU. It is a locally positioned competitor that can argue supply security and Vision 2030 alignment in tenders and in pharmacy negotiations.
What market access and brand teams should check next
1. Formulary and payer status
Registration and a listed SFDA price are not reimbursement. Map CHI / insurance formulary status, hospital formulary decisions and any prior-authorisation rules for SGLT2- or DPP-4-containing FDCs.
2. Tender exposure
NUPCO and other public buyers may or may not list an FDC the same way they list components. Read the tender line, not the brand story. Our NUPCO guide is built for that habit.
3. Pharmacy economics
At a reported SAR 230.30 per 30 tablets, model retailer margin, substitution behaviour and stock breadth across chain versus independent pharmacies. United Pharmacies is one chain. Coverage elsewhere still has to be built.
4. Physician segments
Which physicians already combine empagliflozin + linagliptin + metformin as loose pills? Which prefer dual FDCs and add a third agent? Which have moved eligible patients toward GLP-1s? Prescription-level research answers that faster than desk share estimates.
5. Message risk
Claims must stay inside the approved label and inside what "first in Saudi Arabia for these three actives" actually means. Avoid implying superiority over all diabetes therapies or over injectables.
6. Competitive response
Originator franchise holders for SGLT2 and DPP-4 products will watch retail display, pharmacy recommendation and tender language. Biosimilar and generic oral players will watch price. GLP-1 brands will watch whether oral intensification delays injectable starts in some segments.
Account-level research design (what we would field)
If a client asked BioNixus for a four- to six-week Saudi read after these announcements, a practical design would include:
- n qualitative with endocrinologists and internal medicine physicians in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam/Khobar on FDC use criteria and objections
- Pharmacy interviews with chain and independent pharmacists on stocking triggers, patient queries and co-pay sensitivity around the SAR 230 list price band
- Hospital pharmacy / P&T conversations on whether an FDC belongs on inpatient or outpatient formularies beside component SKUs
- Optional quantitative prescription or patient-chart modules once qualitative language is stable
The AMEA office in Cairo designs and runs this work with the KSA partner office in Al Khobar and field teams. We do not treat "Saudi Arabia" as one account.
What this is not
- Not a clinical efficacy review of TriGutirek XR
- Not confirmation that Sudair manufacturing of this SKU has begun
- Not a claim that United Pharmacies has exclusive retail rights
- Not medical advice
Plan Saudi diabetes access research with BioNixus
BioNixus is a leading global healthcare market research firm. We deliver account-level and SKU-level primary research across 48 countries. Our AMEA office is in Cairo (Sheikh Zayed). Al Khobar is our KSA partner office. Dubai and Kuwait are field offices. The Americas office and global HQ are in the USA; the Europe office is in the UK. Our physician network is 82,000+ physicians globally and about 3,200 in the Middle East.
If you need a fast read on how TriGutirek XR or rival orals will behave in Saudi pharmacies, clinics and tenders, contact our team. A scoped proposal comes back within 48 hours. More on our Saudi coverage: healthcare market research in Saudi Arabia.
This article summarises company announcements and secondary reporting. It is not medical, legal or regulatory advice and does not recommend any medicine.
