Celebrex barrier still too high for NSAID Acelex

Competitor Pfizer’s Celebrex generates KRW 35 billion to KRW 45 billion, still leading the market

Acelex accounted for 38% of Crystal Genomics sales, generics could be threatening

Last 5 years stuck in brackets ranging from KRW 4 billion to KRW 5 billion

The 22nd Korean-made novel drug (Bio-venture No.

 

1) and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for arthritis Acelex (polmacoxib) seems to be stuck in a box pattern, struggling to narrow the sales gap with its biggest competitor Celebrex (celecoxib).

 

IQVIA data found Acelex has generated 598 million won, 4.01 billion won, 4.78 billion won, 4.49 billion won and 5.34 billion won from 2015 through 2019, respectively.

 

Celebrex has also generated 37.1 billion won, 34.4 billion won, 32.6 billion won, 36.4 billion won and 40.1 billion won in year 2015 through 2019, respectively, and its global sales have reached over 850 billion won.

 

Both Acelex and Celebrex are not stepping out of their respective sales brackets ranging from 4 billion won to 5 billion won, and from 35 Billion won to 40 billion won.

 

The two products are sluggish to break through the brackets, having no explosive growth in sight.

 

Celebrex has consolidated the market leadership by selling the product seven times more than Acelex last year.

 

Acelex, developed by Crystal Genomics, has received Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) approval in 2015 as a tissue-selective COX-2 inhibitor that selectively impedes COX-2 enzyme inducing inflammation and pain.

 

The drug has conducted clinical trials not only in South Korea, but also in the U.S.

 

and Europe.

 

During its Phase III study, Acelex has confirmed to improve the participating patients’ physical function scores, as part of osteoarthritis indicators, faster than Pfizer’s Celebrex.

 

Released to the market in 2000, Celebrex selectively hinders COX-2 enzyme causing pain and inflammatory.

 

Celebrex has been an inevitable competitor of Acelex with its benefit of alleviating symptoms of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and pain, while it lowers risk of digestive system complications that other existing NSAIDs often cause.

 

Acelex has been distributed to major general hospitals and university hospitals in Korea through a partnership deal with Dong-A ST signed in September 2015, and it signed another sales deal with Daewoong Pharmaceutical in March 2018.

 

Dong-A ST is in charge of healthcare institutes with over 300 beds, and other hospitals and clinics are handled by Daewoong Pharmaceutical.

 

The drug is also expanding the sales network through its own subsidiary Crystal Life Sciences.

 

And in late last year, the company launched a tablet form of the brand to expand its line-up.

 

Acelex 2 mg tablet has generated 149.9 million won in last first quarter.

 

After signing a co-marketing deal with Jeil Pharmaceutical in 2015, Pfizer and the Korean company each have been focusing their sales force on Celebrex sales in general hospitals, semi-general hospitals and clinics, assigned according to respective strength.

 

Although Acelex has salespeople 1.6 times more than the competitor, the Korean-made drug could not overcome Celebrex’ consolidated prescriber networks.

 

Dong-As ST and Daewoong Pharmaceutical have reportedly dispatched about 430 (180/ 250) sales people for Acelex, and Pfizer and Jeil Pharmaceutical have about 260 sales people (60/ 200) for Celebrex.

 

Unless Acelex takes assertive and effective sales and marketing strategies now, it would be difficult for the drug to see a quantum jump from this point where the sales have been unchanged for five years.

 

With such underwhelming performance in South Korea, Crystal Genomics have been actively working on exports and license-out deals.

 

Acelex is accounted for approximately 38 percent of the overall sales of Crystal Genomics, which made 14 billion won last year.