AD drug ‘Dupixent’ records ￦13.5 bil. in Q1 with reimb.

Reimbursement approved for patients with severe atopic dermatitis from January 2020

Quarterly sale has risen 306% in one year… annual sales this year to break record

Sanofi Genzyme’s biologic medication ‘Dupixent (dupilumab),’ which was finally approved for reimbursement after a long wait, is creating a sensation in the market.

 

After receiving approval for its reimbursement in severe atopic dermatitis last year, sales of Dupixent rose steeply to exceed 10 billion won in the first quarter this year.

 

With the indication expanded to pediatric patients earlier this year, its sales growth is expected to accelerate further.

 

According to the market research institution IQVIA, sales of Dupixent recorded 13.5 billion won in the first quarter this year.

 

This was a 306.2% YoY increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year, in which Dupixent recorded 3.3 billion won in sales.

 

With the surging sales, Dupixent sold over 10 billion won in quarterly sales for the first time.

 

Compared to the 1.5 billion won in 2019 Q1, the size of quarterly sales leaped ninefold in 2 years.

 

Dupixent is the first targeted biologic developed for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription topical therapies or who cannot use topical therapies.

 

It selectively inhibits interleukin-3 and interleukin-4 proteins, which are known causes of adult atopic dermatitis.

 

Sanofi Genzyme received marketing authorization for Dupixent in March 2018 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in adults and released the drug in August of the same year.

 

However, its performance after the initial release was not up to par.

 

Starting with a record of 0.2 billion won in Q3 2018, it exceeded 1 billion won in Q4; however, its quarterly sales since then remained in the 1 billion to 2 billion won range.

 

Even in Q4 2019, it was not able to record 3 billion won and sales remained at 2.7 billion won.

 

The non-reimbursed monthly cost of 2 million won (based on 2 doses/month) remained as a financial barrier for prescribing Dupixent.

 

Sanofi Genzyme had applied for the reimbursement of Dupixent to the Health Insurance Reimbursement and Assessment Service (HIRA) in February 2019.

 

However, the agenda was not chosen for deliberation by the Drug Reimbursement Evaluation Committee for 5 years due to its excessive drug price.

 

However, in the same year, the government had decided to expand eligibility of the Risk-sharing agreement scheme, and Dupixent’s eligibility was recognized through the RSA track.

 

After 2 months of pricing negotiations, the drug was finally granted reimbursement for severe atopic dermatitis from January last year.

 

After the reimbursement approval, Dupixent’s sales soared.

 

In 2020, Dupixent’s sales rose from 3.3 billion won in Q1 to 5.2 billion won in Q2, then to 7.1 billion won in Q3 and to 8 billion won in Q4.

 

In total, Dupixent recorded 23.6 billion won in sales last year.

 

This year, its sales already recorded 13.5 billion won in the first three months, and a new sales record is expected to be set this year.

 

The industry expects the sales growth of ‘Dupixent’ to continue for the time being.

 

In October last year, Sanofi Genzyme additionally released a ‘Dupixent’ 200mg formulation for adolescents weighing less than 60kg with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.

 

In addition, its indication extended to pediatric patients under 11 years of age since March.

 

Dupixent’s indication now covers all atopic dermatitis patients aged 6 years or older.