The NOAC market with ₩230 billion is fluctuating

Generic for Eliquis was withdrawn from the market by Supreme Court ruling, original reflective profit

After the expiration of Xarelto's material patent

Lixiana surpassed 80 billion won a year, Pradaxa has prolonged sluggishness, and joint sales ended

Lixiana, Pradaxa, Xarelto, Eliquis (clockwise from the top left)

The NOAC market, which has grown to 230 billion won, has fluctuated due to generic drugs.

 

After the Supreme Court ruling, Eliquis enjoyed reflective benefits as generics were withdrawn altogether.

 

On the other hand, in the case of Xarelto, as generic products were released one after another due to the expiration of material patents, it seems to have slowed down somewhat.

 

Lixiana maintained its No.

 

1 position in the market last year by repeating rapid growth.

 

It was found that prescription performance decreased for the fourth consecutive year due to the prolonged slump in Pradaxa.

 

◆ Lixiana's annual prescription amount of increased by 16% year-on-year According to UBIST, the size of NOAC's external prescription market last year is estimated at 231.9 billion won.

 

It increased by 10% from 211.1 billion won in 2020.

 

NOAC is attracting attention as a drug with a lower risk of bleeding side effects and a greater thrombus prevention effect than Warfarin, a conventional anticoagulant.

 

Sales have been rising since the early 2010s, replacing Warfarin.

 

Market growth was led by Daiichi Sankyo's Lixiana and BMS' Elliquis.

 

Sales of Lixiana recorded 84.8 billion won last year.

 

It increased 16% from 72.9 billion won in 2020.

 

Lixiana was the last NOAC to enter the market.

 

While other NOACs were licensed in Korea from 2009 to 2011, Lixiana was licensed in 2015.

 

It was then released in January 2016.

 

Although it is generics, synergy with domestic partners is one of the reasons why it was able to quickly settle down as the No.

 

1 market.

 

Daiichi Sankyo has joined with Daewoong Pharmaceutical since the launch of Lixiana.

 

Lixiana quickly settled in the NOAC market due to the joint sales strategy of the two companies, and has topped the market since 2019, three years after its launch.

 

Lixiana's annual prescriptions amounted to 4.8 billion won in 2016, 20.9 billion won in 2017, 39.5 billion won in 2018, 61.9 billion won in 2019, 72.9 billion won in 2020, and 84.8 billion won in 2021.

 

Considering the current upward trend, it may exceed 100 billion won at the end of this year.

 

◆This is due to a 19% increase in the prescription amount of Eliquis, and generic withdrawal after the Supreme Court ruling Eliquis then ranked second in the NOAC market.

 

Eliquis' prescription amount last year was 65.2 billion won, up 19% from 55 billion won in 2020.

 

It is analyzed that the withdrawal of generic had a significant impact on the nearly 20% increase in Eliquis' prescription performance.

 

In April last year, the Supreme Court overturned the previous first and second trials in a patent lawsuit surrounding Eliquis and sided with BMS, the original company.

 

Shortly after the ruling, generics withdrew from the market.

 

This is because BMS announced a claim for damages due to patent infringement.

 

Generic companies won Eliquis' material patent trial in February 2018.

 

It also won the second trial in March of the following year.

 

Based on this ruling, Chong Kun Dang and Yuhan Corporation have launched a series of generics since June 2019.

 

Generics posted a prescription of 1.2 billion won in 2019.

 

In 2020, generic prescriptions increased to 9.4 billion won.

 

However, due to last year's Supreme Court ruling, the prescription amount shrank to 5.4 billion won.

 

Inventory supplied to retailers and others is also believed to have been completely exhausted.

 

◆Generic for Xarelto was released due to the expiration of the patent Last year, Xarelto's prescription amounted to 59.6 billion won.

 

It increased by 4% from 57.3 billion won in 2020.

 

Although it has increased slightly.

 

In the case of Xarelto, it recorded an average annual growth rate of 14% for four years from 2016 to 2020.

 

One of the reasons why Xarelto's prescription performance has slowed down is the launch of the generic.

 

Many generics have been released around the expiration of Xarelto material patents (October 2020).

 

Since then, a total of 1.6 billion won has been paid by the end of last year.

 

Chong Kun Dang's strategy to preoccupy the market is drawing attention.

 

Chong Kun Dang launched the generic in May 2020, before the Xarelto material license expired.

 

Prior to this, Xarelto's material patent was requested for a passive trial to confirm the scope of rights.

 

It launched the generic on the premise of winning Xarelto's material patent trial.

 

Analysts say Chong Kun Dang has made a winning move to preoccupy the market.

 

It is analyzed that Chong Kun Dang's winning strategy worked to some extent.

 

Last year, the prescription amount of Chong Kun Dang's Riroxia was 1.2 billion won.

 

Considering that the total amount of generic prescriptions from the remaining 16 companies was only 400 million won, the strategy of launching generic about five months earlier than other companies won.

 

There is a possibility of losing the patent lawsuit.

 

If Chong Kun Dang finally loses the patent suit against Bayer, patent infringement is recognized.

 

At this time, large-scale compensation for damages is inevitable.

 

Currently, Chong Kun Dang is waiting for the second trial ruling after losing the first trial.

 

◆Pradaxa prescription sales declined for the fourth consecutive year, and copromotion with Boryung ended Another NOAC, Pradaxa, is prolonged sluggishness.

 

Pradaxa's prescription amount last year was 15.2 billion won, down 8% from 2020.

 

If the scope is expanded, it has been steadily decreasing since 2017.

 

It includes KRW 21.6 billion in 2017 to KRW 19.6 billion in 2018, KRW 18.7 billion in 2019, and KRW 16.5 billion in 2020.

 

Beringer Ingelheim selected Boryung Pharmaceutical as a partner to make up for the slump.

 

The two companies launched a joint sale of Pradaxa in 2018.

 

However, Pradaxa's performance did not rise despite the addition of Boryung Pharmaceutical.

 

Eventually, at the end of last year, Beringer Ingelheim and Boryung Pharmaceutical terminated the co-promotion contract under mutual agreement.