Seretide withdraws from Korea due to poor performance

Company withdraws all Seretide items from the market

Seretide will be available with reimbursement until the end of May next year...as part of product portfolio adjustments

GSK's asthma inhaler 'Seretide' is withdrawing from the domestic market.

 

Once the market leader in the market, it seems that the company is reorganizing the product line as its performance has recently declined due to the entry of new products.

 

According to industry sources on the 30th, GSK recently sent letters to long-term care organizations and distributors to notify them of the withdrawal of 6 seretide items and the removal of their reimbursement listing.

 

The 6 currently licensed Seretide products are Seretide 100 Diskus, Seretide 250 Diskus, Seretide 500 Diskus, Seretide 50 Evohaler, Seretide 125 Evohaler, and Seretide 250 Evohaler.

 

Among those, 3 of the Seretide Evohaler formulations have already withdrawn from the market as of April 29th.

 

The remaining 3 Discus formulations have also applied for withdrawal and are expected to be removed in the near future.

 

“We have carefully considered the fact that sufficient alternatives to the Seretide product line already exist in the Korean market and have decided to withdraw the Seretide product line in Korea to simplify and concentrate our respiratory portfolio,” said GSK.

 

The company said the expected date of the items’ reimbursement withdrawal is Dec.

 

1, with prescribing and reimbursement available for approximately 6 months until the end of May 2025.

 

Seretide was once the leading asthma inhaler in South Korea, but it has been on a downward spiral in recent years due to the entry of its generics and new drugs.

 

Sales of Seretide Diskus have fallen to KRW 12.2 billion in 2019, KRW 11.7 billion in 2020, KRW 9.1 billion in 2021, KRW 7.6 billion in 2022, then to KRW 1.7 billion last year, according to IQVIA.

 

Seretide Evohaler also generated only KRW 800 million in sales last year.

 

In addition to Seretide, GSK has other asthma-COPD inhaler products such as  Arnuity, Anoro, Flixotide, Relvar, and Trelegy.

 

In particular, sales of Relvar Elipta was KRW 36.2 billion and Trelegy Elipta was KRW 8.1 billion last year.