Sales of Lyrica's generics sales beat Lyrica in nine years

Rx for generics, ₩16 billion in the second quarter, up 14% in a year

riginal, down 12% to ₩14.1 billion, under 50% market share

Lyrica (Pregabalin)

For the first time, sales of Lyrica's generics, which is worth ₩120 billion a year, surpassed the original sales.

 

It is the first time in nine years that a generic has been released in Korea.

 

The reason why it took a relatively long time to expand generic prescription performance is because the original company, Viatris, has registered material patent & use patent.

 

Use patent of Lyrica has been registered since the expiration of the material patent in 2012, and generic companies have sold generics in earnest since August 2017, when use patent was expired.

 

◆ Generics ₩16 billion vs Original ₩14.6 billion According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical market research institute on the 21st, the size of Pregabalin market is estimated to be ₩30.6 billion in the second quarter of this year.

 

The size of the market itself is almost the same as that of the second quarter of last year (₩30.6 billion).

 

However, the market share between the original and generics has changed significantly over the past year.

 

The prescription amount of the original Lyrica decreased 12% from ₩16.6 billion in the second quarter of last year to ₩14.6 billion in the second quarter of this year.

 

Sales of generics recorded ₩16 billion in the second quarter of this year.

 

Compared to the second quarter of last year, it increased by 14%.

 

The team beat the original for the first time based on its quarterly performance.

 

It is the first time in nine years since the generic was released in Korea.

 

As of second quarter, market share of generic is 52%.

 

◆ Generics were sold in earnest after the expiration of the usage patent in 2017 Domestic companies released generics in 2012 in line with the expiration of material patent of Lyrica.

 

However, indication expired at that time was limited to epilepstic seizure.

 

Drugs were not available for neurological pain.

 

Until August 2017, when use patent expired, the sale amount of generic prescriptions was around ₩1 billion per quarter.

 

Its market share also fell below 10%.

 

However, sales of generics have increased in earnest since the expiration of the patent.

 

The market share of generic products rose to 34% in 2018 after the expiration of the patent.

 

It increased to 42 % in 2019 and 49% last year.

 

The difference between prescription amount between original and generic in the first quarter was only ₩100 million.

 

It finally surpassed the original in the second quarter.

 

As of the second quarter, 117 companies have been approved for 330 items.

 

HK inno.N's second-quarter prescription for Kabalin was ₩3.2 billion.

 

Last year, it was the only generic product that had a prescription record of ₩10.7 billion.

 

As of the second quarter, Daewoong Bio's Lyribear's sales were ₩1.5 billion won, Hanmi's Prebalin sales were ₩800 million, Medica Korea's Prelika and Hanlim's Gabaneuro were ₩700 million, Samjin's Neurocover-PG, Celltrion's Lyfrega and Lyreca were ₩600 million, respectively.

 

All of the remaining products are less than ₩400 million.