Mitsubishi’s Lou Gehrig's disease drug Radicut's sale soars

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Korea’s Lou Gehrig's disease treatment… fueled by its convenience in administration

Patients with swallowing difficulties such as muscle atrophy show a clear preference for injections over tablets

Radicut Inj posts KRW 0.9 billion in sales in H1… Sanofi’s Rilutek recorded the lowest performance ever since selling KRW 0.1 billion in 2020

Yooyoung Pharm’s Yooritek throws in a bid against global big pharmas... makes record-breaking performance of up to KRW 2.4 billion

The latecomer injection formulations are taking over the Lou Gehrig's disease treatment market that had been occupied by injectables in the past.

 

According to the industry’s pharmaceutical distribution performance data, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Korea's Radicut Inj (edaravone) has occupied 39% of the market share in the related treatment market 8 years after receiving marketing authorization, narrowing the gap with YooYoung Pharm's Yooritek (riluzole, 41%).

 

Radicut, which was approved in 2015 by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, had posted sales of KRW 500 million, KRW 1.3 billion, KRW 1.1 billion, KRW 1.6 billion, KRW 2.2 billion, and KRW 0.9 billion in H1 of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively.

 

It has outperformed Sanofi Aventis’s Rilutek since 2020.

 

During the same period, Sanofi Aventis’s sales of Rilutek were KRW 1.2 billion, KRW 2.6 billion, KRW 0.1 billion, KRW 0.3 billion, KRW 0.7 billion, and KRW 0.4 billion, respectively.

 

After posting record-high sales of KRW 2.6 billion in 2019, Rilutek recorded sales worth KRW 0.4 billion in H1 this year, drawing a downward-sloping performance curve.

 

Until earlier this year, Yooyoung Pharm was the only domestic company to supply Lou Gehrig's disease treatment.

 

Therefore the fact that it had recorded record-breaking performance of KRW 2.4 billion in 2020 and 2021 with Yooritek against global pharmaceutical companies Sanofi and Mitsubishi is one aspect to note.

 

Clockwise from the top: Yooyoung Pharm’s Yooritek, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Korea’s Radicut, and Sanofi’s Rilutek

Radicut is indicated to slow down the progression of functional impairment in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

 

Rilutek and Yooritek are indicated to extend life or the time to mechanical ventilation for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

 

Lou Gehrig's disease is a rare condition that cannot be cured until now.

 

Its annual drug cost is around KRW 3.3 million, which is relatively cheap compared to the ultra-expensive rare and anticancer drugs that cost hundreds of millions of won.

 

Another interesting aspect is that Radicut, which contains edaravone, was initially prescribed as a treatment for cerebral infarction, and then added an indication for Lou Gehrig's disease.

 

Radicut’s efficacy and effect in suppressing the progression of functional impairment have been confirmed through clinical trials conducted on Lou Gehrig patients in Japan.

 

Lou Gehrig's disease is a representative rare and intractable neurological disease that selectively degenerates only motor neurons, causing irreversible paralysis of limbs and respiratory muscles.

 

Most patients affected with Lou Gehrig's disease die within 2 to 5 years after onset without mechanical ventilation.

 

It is estimated that there are approximately 350,000 patients worldwide and 2,000 to 3,000 in Korea.

 

It occurs in approximately 1 to 2 people per 100,000 per year, and its incidence increases from the late 50s.

 

Its incidence rate is 1.4 to 2.5 times higher in men than in women.

 

Meanwhile, SK Chemicals also succeeded in listing Teglutik (200ml), a suspension formulation containing riluzole, that it imported from the Italian pharmaceutical company Italfarmaco at an insurance price of KRW 134,970 earlier this year.

 

The ceiling insurance price is KRW 133,970 per vial for a 15-day use.

 

Therefore, the price is the same as the price of existing tablet formulations (KRW 4,499 per day) in terms of daily dosage.

 

As it comes in a suspension formulation, it is administered directly using oral syringes, and through percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tubes for those who have difficulty taking it directly.

 

Patients with Lou Gehrig's disease often experience dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) an early symptom due to weakened tongue and throat muscles.

 

Although tablets are considered more convenient for intake take than injections in general, for Lou Gehrig's injections are more convenient than tablets for the reason above.

 

This is why Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Korea’s injectable Radicut is rapidly expanding its market share.

 

Therefore, patients with dysphagia had difficulty taking the table formulation of riluzole, which was administered twice a day.