Xarelto-Eliquis follow Lixiana dominating NOAC market

Analyzing NOAC prescription sales in first quarter, Lixiana generated KRW 15.8 billion

Xarelto vs. Eliquis battles over 2nd place with KRW 2.45 difference

12 Eliquis generics make 1.4 billion won, taking up 11% of original’s pie

Lixiana has reaffirmed its dominance in the non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) market.

 

Eliquis has gotten close to taking over the second place from Xarelto with ever more intense competition in the market,.

 

First released in last June, generic products of Eliquis are expanding their pies.

 

Currently, 12 products are released and their total prescription volume takes about 11.1 percent of Eliquis’.

 

◆Lixiana tops again, Xarelto and Eliquis head-to-head over the second place According to pharmaceutical market research firm UBIST on Apr.

 

22, Lixiana has generated 15.8 billion won from prescription in the first quarter.

 

The figure was up by 15.1 percent than last year’s first quarter at 13.7 billion won.

 

After taking over the top place in January last year, the drug has been leading the market for last 15 months straight.

 

Although it followed into the market after the first-in-class, Lixiana’s prescription volume skyrocketed with a boost from a co-marketing deal with Daewoong Pharmaceutical.

 

And the long-term stock-out period of Xarelto, caused by the maintenance work at Bayer’s German manufacturing facility, has probably affected Lixiana’s successful run.

 

Quarterly prescription volume trend in major NOAC products (Unit: KRW 100 million) Source: UBIST

On the other hand, Xarelto and Eliquis were battling over the second place.

 

Both drugs actually made 12.3 billion won from prescription in the first quarter.

 

But at the end, Xarelto made 12,283,260,000 won and Eliquis made 12,280,810,000 won, ranking them on the second and the third, respectively, with the difference of 2.45 million won.

 

Their prescription volumes compared to last year’s first quarter were increased by 2.3 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively.

 

Xarelto had to give up its top spot to Lixiana in January 2019, and now its second place is threatened by Eliquis.

 

From last November to past February, Eliquis topped over Xarelto in prescription volume.

 

◆Apixaban generic’s prescription volume grows over 2.7 times in six months The apixaban generics would eventually affect the fierce competition between Eliquis and Xarelto.

 

Since June last year, generic version of Eliquis like Chong Kun Dang’s Liquisia, Yuhan’s Yuhan Apixaban, Samjin Pharm’s Elxaban, Hanmi Pharamceutical’s Apixban, Aju Pharm’s Eliban and YooYoung Pharmaceutical’s Yupix have entered the NOAC market.

 

In the first quarter, Liquisia has generated the most at 394.56 million won and Yuhan Apixaban, Elxaban, Apixban, Eliban and Yupix followed with 226.64 million won, 222.0 million won, 145.14 million won, 131.06 million won and 114.67 million won, respectively.

 

The generic prescription volume has not been so overpowering to threat the originals, yet.

 

The total volume took up 11.1 percent of the original’s, generating approximately 1.4 billion won.

 

But the volume has increased steeply by 2.7 times since the last third quarter making 400 million won, while the original Eliquis’ volume growth has been sluggish.

 

Considering other generics jumping into the NOAC market, the apixaban generic pie would grow even further.

 

So far, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has approved of 42 apixaban generics.

 

Quarterly Apixaban generic prescription volume in last one year (Unit: KRW 1 million) Source: UBIST

◆Eliquis pricing reduction postponed yet again Another variable in the market is pricing reduction in Eliquis.

 

According to the court’s decision, the government-authorized Eliquis pricing reduction has been suspended temporarily.

 

In January, the Seoul High Court has ordered the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) to temporarily halt the pricing reduction execution on Eliquis.

 

The court ruled the pricing reduction should be postponed until the current proceeding of litigation is concluded.

 

Initially, Eliquis’ pricing was supposed to be reduced by 30 percent from July last year after the generics’ launch in June.

 

But the enforcement of the new pricing was halted as Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) has filed for an administrative litigation.

 

Although the first trial was rejected as the court ruled in favor of the ministry and the pricing reduction, the ministry’s action was halted again as BMS filed for an appeal.

 

The appeal is expected to be concluded in the latter half of the year.

 

If the court rules favorable for MOHW again, Eliquis’ pricing would be reduced by 30 percent and its prescription sales would drop, accordingly.