The liver cancer treatment market is fluctuating

Nexavar ↓25% ·Lenvima ↑ 87%

3Q cumulative sales of Nexavar, ₩20 billion → ₩15 billion, Lenvima, ₩4.6 billion → ₩8.7 billion

Soranib, Hanmi’s Sorafenib to be released, Will Nexavar decline continue?

Nexavar (left) and Lenvima

The liver cancer treatment market is fluctuating greatly.

 

Sales of Nexavar (Sorafenib), which occupied an absolute position in the market, declined significantly, while sales of Lenvima (Lenvatinib) increased.

 

Hanmi's Soranib, which succeeded in overcoming Nexavar's patent, is scheduled to be released, and attention is focused on whether the change in this market will be faster in the future.

 

According to the drug market research agency IQVIA on the 3rd, the cumulative sales of Nexavar in the third quarter of this year is ₩15 billion.

 

Compared to the cumulative ₩20 billion in the third quarter of last year, it decreased by 25%.

 

Lenvima, another liver cancer treatment, surged from ₩4.6 billion to ₩8.8 billion over the same period.

 

The gap in sales between the two treatments sharply decreased from ₩15.3 billion to ₩6.3 billion in a year.

 

In this situation, Nexavar's generic 'Soranib' will be released soon.

 

The MFDS approved Hanmi’s Soranib on October 30th.

 

Hanmi can sell generic for Nexavar exclusively until July 29, next year.

 

Nexavar's sales may further decline further.

 

Changes in cumulative sales in the third quarter of Nexavar and Lenvima, the primary tx for liver cancer (left) and quarterly sales (unit: ₩billion, data IQVIA)

Currently, the only first-line treatments for liver cancer that have been released in Korea are Nexavar and Lenvima.

 

The advantages and disadvantages of both drugs are clear.

 

When analyzing clinical data, Lenvima precedes Nexavar.

 

As a result of conducting a one-to-one comparative clinical trial with Nexavar, it was found that the objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS) were improved.

 

The advantage of Nexavar is that it has a follow-up drug.

 

Stivarga (Regorafenib) and Cabometyx (Cabozantinib) can be used as follow-up drugs.

 

Lenvima cannot use Stivarga or Cabometyx as a follow-up drug if the first-line treatment fails.

 

In the case of both treatments, indications and benefit standards are also limited to patients who have failed Nexavar treatment.

 

Even though Lenvima was released with better data after 10 years of Nexavar's release, the reason why Lenvima still struggles is that there is no follow-up drug.

 

Accordingly, opinions on allowing Stivarga to be used even for patients who have failed Lenvima treatment have been steadily raised by the medical community and patients, but the discussion is still in the beginning.

 

If Lenvima solves the problem of follow-up drugs, future sales are expected to increase even more rapidly.