Neulasta's sales surpassed those of Neulapeg

Last year, Neulasta regained the lead lost to Neulapeg with sales of 31.4 billion won

Boryung, which was in charge of Neulapeg sales, switched to Neulasta last year

3rd generation neutropenia drug Rolontis breakthrough

Neulasta and Neulapeg

Neulasta and Neulapeg are competing for the lead in the neutropenia treatment market.

 

In the fourth quarter of 2021, Neulapeg took the lead by surpassing the original product, Neulasta, for the first time after its release, but from the first quarter of last year, Neulasta took the lead again, widening the gap with Neulapeg.

 

In the pharmaceutical industry, there is an analysis that the change is due to the replacement of sales partners.

 

Boryung led rapid growth by co-selling Neulapeg with GC Pharma until 2021 but started co-selling Neulasta in partnership with Kyowa Kirin last year.

 

According to IQVIA, a pharmaceutical market research institute, on the 23rd, sales of Neulasta last year were 31.4 billion won.

 

It increased by 29% compared to 24.5 billion won in 2021.

 

During the same period, Neulapeg showed a decrease of 6% in one year from 22.8 billion won to 21.5 billion won.

 

Neulasta is classified as a second-generation neutropenia treatment.

 

Neutropenia treatment is a drug that prevents the side effects of lowering immunity due to a decrease in the number of neutrophils in the body when cancer patients are administered anticancer drugs.

 

Neulapeg is a kind of Biobetter product upgraded from Neulasta.

 

GC Pharma applied PEGylation technology, which attaches polyethyleneglycol only to a specific location, to increase purity and stability and increase the half-life of the drug compared to existing treatments.

 

By 2021, the neutropenia treatment market has developed in such a way that Neulapeg is chasing Neulasta.

 

Released in 2014, Neulapeg had minimal initial commercial success.

 

Until 2018, most quarterly sales were less than 1 billion won.

 

However, as Boryung's sales power increased, it began to show a steep upward trend.

 

GC Pharma signed a joint sales contract with Boryung in October 2018 for Neulapeg.

 

Since then, it has exceeded 3 billion won in the 4th quarter of 2019, 4 billion won in the 4th quarter of 2020, and 5 billion won in the 2nd quarter of 2021, respectively.

 

In particular, in the fourth quarter of 2021, it recorded quarterly sales of 6.3 billion won, surpassing Neulasta (5.6 billion won) and rising to the top of the market.

 

Neulasta, new sales in one year ↑ 29%

In the pharmaceutical industry, it is analyzed that the change of sales partner had a significant impact on the change in the market landscape.

 

Boryeong, which led Neulapeg's growth until 2021, started selling Neulasta instead of Neulapeg last year.

 

Boryeong, which contributed to Neulapeg's rise to the top at the end of 2021, led to the recapture of Neulasta, a competing product.

 

Jeil has been co-selling GC Pharma Neulapeg since last year.

 

Jeil had experience co-marketing Neulasta from 2014 to 2017.

 

The gap between Neulasta and Neulapeg is widening after the change of sales partners.

 

The gap between the two products, which was only 700 million won in the first quarter, Neulasta 6.5 billion won and Neulapeg 5.8 billion won, widened to 3.4 billion won in the fourth quarter, 8.4 billion won and 5 billion won.

 

◆Rolontis, a third-generation new drug, sales of KRW 1.8 billion in 2 months after the launch Rolontis is a third-generation treatment that appeared in the neutropenia treatment market after 16 years.

 

Hanmi Pharmaceutical's Labscovery technology was applied.

 

Compared to existing drugs, the half-life in blood was longer, so the frequency of administration was reduced to once every 3 weeks.

 

Hanmi Pharm received domestic approval for Rolontis in March 2021.

 

In November of last year, Rolontis was listed on the health insurance benefit list.

 

In just two months of benefit, Rolontis posted sales of 1.8 billion won, proving its growth potential.

 

Sales of Handokteva Lonquex and Dong-A ST Dulastin, which were second-generation products, exceeded the 4Q sales.

 

Lonquex and Dulastin posted sales of 1 billion won and 600 million won, respectively, in the fourth quarter of last year.