Rx amount for Choline alfoscerate is the largest ever

Rx amount of Choline alfoscerate formulation in the first half was year-on-year ↑20%

Monthly prescription surpasses ₩40 billion

Rx market for brain function-enhancing drug 'Choline alfoscerate' has grown significantly.

 

Despite the controversy over the effectiveness and the bad news of COVID-19, the rate was over ₩200 billion the first half of this year and continued to rise.

 

The monthly prescription amount was ₩40 billion.

 

Not only Daewoong Bio and Chong Kun Dang, which led the expansion of the market, but also Yuhan, Daewon, Korea Prime, Celltrion, and Jeil produced good result.

 

According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical research institute on the 21st, the outpatient prescription amount of Choline alfoscerate formulation in the first half of 2020 was ₩224.1 billion, an increase of 19.6% from the same period last year.

 

Choline alfoscerate is a drug used to improve brain function, such as decreased sense of memory and confusion, impaired sense of direction due to motivation and spontaneity, decreased motivation and spontaneity, and decreased concentration.

 

Despite the recent validity controversy, it has the best prescription performance this year.

 

Choline alfoscerate’s outpatient Rx amount (Unit: ₩1 million, Source: UBIST)

In the second quarter, the Rx amount of Choline alfoscerate was ₩114.2 billion, up 17.2% from the same period of the previous year, setting a new record for the previous quarter.

 

This is more than tripled in 4 years compared to ₩35.8 billion in the second quarter of 2015.

 

Choline alfoscerate formulations rose 22.2% from the same period last year in the first quarter.

 

By month, Choline alfoscerate formulations amounted to ₩ 40.7 billion, a 30.0% increase from the same period last year.

 

The larger the prescription size, the upward trend is even greater.

 

Choline alfoscerate formulations exceeded ₩10 billion a month for the first time in February 2015, and exceeded ₩20 billion in March 2017.

 

It was recorded at ₩30 billion in January of last year, and it rose to ₩40 billion in one year and 5 months.

 

As the government recently questioned its effectiveness, Choline alfoscerate formulations are struggling but demand in the market is even higher.

 

The HIRA held the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee on the 11th and deliberated the appropriateness of the benefits of Choline alfoscerate, and decided on the benefits based on efficacy and effectiveness.

 

When a patient diagnosed with dementia uses this drug for the purpose of improving symptoms such as cognitive impairment, the copayment (30%) is maintained as before.

 

However, because dementia patients only pay 10% of the medical expenses, the average copayment for this drug is estimated at an average of 10%.

 

However, if a patient who has not been diagnosed with dementia is prescribed a Choline alfoscerate product, the drug cost burden increases from 30% to 80%.

 

Pharmaceutical companies have recently filed a complaint that the benefit reduction of Choline alfoscerate is unfair.

 

Gliatamin & Chongkundang Gliatirin

Choline alfoscerate formulations are also expected to undergo clinical re-evaluation.

 

The MFDS recently requested the submission of clinical trial data to companies possessing Choline alfoscerate.

 

It was instructed to submit a clinical trial plan by December 23.

 

If pharmaceutical companies fail to demonstrate the efficacy of Choline alfoscerate in clinical trials, the approval can be revoked in the worst case.

 

The high sales performance of Choline alfoscerate is analyzed due to the high demand for brain function improving agents, especially among elderly patients.

 

Although Choline alfoscerate is not a drug that fundamentally treats dementia, it seems that the market size has expanded rapidly as pharmaceutical companies have focused on the brain functioning market to target the rapidly growing elderly.

 

In the aftermath of COVID-19 this year, although the performance of prescriptions centered on chronic disease treatments was poor, the performance of RX for Choline alfoscerate were very good.

 

Some industries have expressed doubts that pharmaceutical companies induced long-term prescriptions in advance to prepare for reduced benefits of Choline alfoscerate.

 

The growth of generic companies was stronger than that of Daewoong Bio and Chong Kun Dang, which have led the market.

 

Daewoong Bio's prescription for 'Gliatamin' in the first half was ₩48 billion, a 4.4% increase over the same period last year.

 

With this trend, the prescription amount of ₩100 billion is also possible this year.

 

The prescription amount of Chongkundang Gliatirin recorded ₩39.8 billion, up 6.9% from last year.

 

Generic companies such as Yuhan Corporation, Daewon, Korea Prime Pharm, and Celltrion showed high gains.

 

Yuhan's Alfoatilin was 23.6% higher than the previous year with Rx amount of ₩9.7 billion in the first half.

 

Daewon's Alfocholine increased 21.1% from ₩7.1 billion in the first half of last year to ₩8.6 billion this year.

 

Korea Prime's Gria posted prescriptions of ₩8.4 billion in the first half with a 12.8% growth rate.

 

Celltrion, Jeil Pharm, Arlico Pharm, and Korea Hutecs recorded prescriptions of around ₩5 billion with a growth rate of over 30%.