Sales of Nexavar fell sharply

2 billion won in sales in the first quarter of this year, 41% less than the previous year

Lenvima launches and Tecentriq combination therapy ends with Nexava solo on primary benefit

With the release of generic products last year, a 30% cut in drug prices was also a big blow

Sales of Nexavar, which has dominated the primary treatment market for liver cancer for 10 years, are falling.

 

This is because prices have fallen due to the release of generic products, and the status of the first treatment for liver cancer as a new drug has been shaken.

 

Compared to two years ago, quarterly sales have halved.

 

◆Tecentriq with Lenvima 1Q Sales Half According to IQVIA, a pharmaceutical research agency, on the 30th, Lenvima recorded 2 billion won in sales in the first quarter.

 

The figure is down 41.2% from 3.4 billion won a year earlier.

 

Nexavar's sales have been falling for seven consecutive quarters since the second quarter of 2020.

 

Compared to two years ago, quarterly sales fell more than half from 5.1 billion won to 2 billion won.

 

With the advent of competitive drugs, sales of Nexavar began to decline.

 

It is Lenvima, a new drug for liver cancer treatment that appeared in 10 years.

 

Lenvima, which is used as the first treatment for liver cancer along with Nexavar, narrowed the gap with Nexavar and succeeded in reversing the first quarter of 2021.

 

Lenvima posted 4 billion won in sales in the last quarter, up 17.6% from the same period last year.

 

Nexavar is the first targeted treatment to appear in the market for liver cancer treatments that are difficult to develop.

 

It has been firmly established as the only liver cancer treatment for more than a decade.

 

Annual sales amounted to 26 billion won.

 

Nexavar began to falter with the launch of Lenvima.

 

Initially, sales of Nexavar were overwhelming due to the strength of sequential treatment leading to Nexavar-Stivarga.

 

However, Lenvima slowly boosted its influence with improved data.

 

In October 2019, benefits were applied as the first treatment and settled in the 3 billion won in quarterly sales.

 

◆ Competitive drugs are emerging one after another Recently, the decline in Nexavar sales has become steeper with the emergence of generics.

 

The government cut Nexavar's insurance cap by 30% in February last year.

 

The move comes after Hanmi Pharmaceutical, which overcame Nexavar's patent, launched generics.

 

Accordingly, the upper limit of Nexavar insurance fell from 18,560 won to 12,992 won.

 

Nexavar

Immediately after the weak cut was applied, quarterly sales of Nexavar fell 32% from the previous quarter, and were affected by the cut.

 

Since then, Nexavar has continued its quarterly sales of 2 billion won.

 

generic for Nexavar, released by Hanmi Pharmaceutical, posted sales of more than 400 million won in the first quarter, the fifth quarter of its release.

 

Recently, as a new primary benefit option, it is a combination of Tecentriq, an immuno-cancer drug with a completely different mechanism from Nexava, and Avastin, an anti-VEGF treatment.

 

Tecentriq+ Avastin combination therapy predicted a sensation from the first data release.

 

This is because the reaction rate was more than twice that of Nexavar, and the significantly improved OS and PFS were recorded.

 

Tecentriq combined therapy has already begun to exert influence by expanding its indications as the first treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma in July 2020.

 

Starting this month, the impact is expected to increase further as benefits will be applied to the first treatment.

 

Although there are still no drugs that can be used after Tecentriq therapy, it is predicted that the paradigm of primary treatment, which mainly used Nexavar or Lenvima, will change to Tecentriq therapy.