Dong-A ST’s Nesp biosimilar export exceeds ₩10 bil.

After technology export of ‘Darbepoetin-alfa’ in 2014, launched its product in Japan at the end of 2019

Sales made in earnest from 2020… cumulative export amounts to ₩11.8 billion

Pic of the Darbepoetin-α product being sold in Japan

The cumulative export sales of Dong-A ST’s biosimilar anemia treatment have exceeded 10 billion won.

 

After entering the Japanese market through a partner company at the end of 2019, the sales of Dong-A ST's biosimilar have shown steady growth based on the increasing product recognition and favorable policies set on biosimilars by the Japanese government.

 

According to Dong-A ST on the 1st, its overseas sales of ‘Darbepoetin-alfa’ during the first quarter of this year was 2.9 billion won, a 326.6% increase from the same period of the previous year.

 

‘Darbepoetin-alfa’ is a biosimilar of the second generation anemia treatment ‘Nesp (darbepoetin-α)’ that was co-developed by Amgen and Kyowa Kirin.

 

Its mechanism of action allows erythropoietin (EPO) to stimulate erythroblasts and accelerate red blood cell production and is used to treat patients with anemia from chronic renal failure or from chemotherapy.

 

The overseas sales of ‘Darbepoetin-alfa’ are solely accrued from its Japan exports.

 

After conducting the Phase I clinical trial on’ Darbepoetin-α,’ Dong-A ST signed a licensing-out agreement on the development and sale of its drug to Sanwa Kagaku Kenkyusho (SKK).

 

Based on a Phase III trial conducted in Japan that compared the efficacy and safety of ‘Darbepoetin-α’ to the original ‘Nesp,’ SKK received marketing approval from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in September 2019 and released the drug from November of the same year.

 

Dong-A ST exports the finished products that were produced by DM Bio, a biosimilar company under Dong-A Socio Group, to SKK, after which SKK is solely responsible for its local sales.

 

After recording 0.1 billion won in sales in the first year of its release, ‘Darbepoetin-alfa' started making real profit from last year.

 

After exceeding 2 billion won in sales in the second quarter of last year, it has been selling around 3 billion won’s worth every quarter.

 

The cumulative export sales of ‘Darbepoetin-alfa’ since its launch in 2019 to the first quarter of this year amounts to 11.8 billion won.

 

Chong Kun Dang has also launched a Nesp biosimilar in the same market.

 

The company had received marketing approval for its Nesp biosimilar ‘Nesbell’ at a similar period with Dong-A ST and released its product in December of the same year.

 

The Japanese subsidiary of U.S.

 

global pharmaceutical company, Mylan N.V., is in charge of its sales in Japan, however, Chong Kun Dang has not disclosed the individual sales performance of ‘Nesbell’ in Japan.

 

An official from Dong-A ST said, “It has been three years since we released our ‘Darbepoetin-alfa' in Japan, and brand recognition of our product has been increasing.

 

The advantage that our product is cheaper than the original drug, and the subsidies provided by the Japanese government to hospitals that use biosimilars, have also added to our continued positive increase in sales.”