Last to join HCV treatment game Mavyret tops in 1 year

Mavyret gulp down 81% of hepatitis C treatment market

Makes 40.3 billion won last year and leads market but keeps falling for 2 consecutive quarters

마비렛 제품사진.

Taking up 81 percent of the market share, Mavyret has been prominently leading the hepatitis C treatment market making 40.3 billion won last year.

 

However, the prescription volume fell for two consecutive quarters due to reduced number of patients.

 

Pharmaceutical market research firm UBIST on Feb.

 

3 said eight of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments for hepatitis C generated 49.9 billion won for outpatient prescription last year, which was increased by ten percent than at 45.2 billion won in 2018.

 

◆ Mavyret dominates the market at 81 percent market share Mavyret has been predominant in the market.

 

Owning 81 percent of the overall hepatitis C-treating DAA market pie, the treatment generated 40.3 billion won last year alone.

 

Considering its prescription volume and market share in 2018 were respectively at 4.5 billion won and ten percent, Mavyret’s growth has basically skyrocketed exponentially.

 

The treatment’s quarterly prescription volume started from 300 million won in third quarter 2018, which steeply soared to 4.2 billion won in following fourth quarter, 8.2 billion won in first quarter 2019, and 12 billion won in second quarter, but climbed down to 10.9 billion won in the next third quarter and 9.2 billion won in the fourth quarter.

 

In the same period, it took up the market share of three percent, 44 percent, 71 percent, 84 percent, 83 percent and 85 percent, respectively.

 

Mavyret is the first pan-genotypic treatment for chronic hepatitis C to be available in Korea.

 

As other existing treatments targeted limited genotypes (type 1 to 6), it was easy for Mavyret to take over the others’ pie.

 

Besides, the treatment’s strength of reducing about a month of treatment period than other DAA has been evaluated as its key to rapid growth.

 

Quarterly prescription volume of 8 hepatitis C treatments (Unit: KRW 100 million) Source: UBIST

◆ Prescription volume dips for two consecutive quarters Although Mavyret seems to be at its height, no one can clearly predict how long it would last.

 

The biggest reason is the unique quality of hepatitis C.

 

The prevalence rate of the blood-borne virus in Korea is relatively lower than in other countries.

 

The exceptionally outstanding effect of the drug is also affecting the descending prescription volume.

 

DAA for hepatitis C has significantly high response rate and has short treatment period.

 

The number of patients fell more and more, as most of the patients administered with the treatment have recovered.

 

Quarterly prescription volume of Mavyret (Unit: KRW 100 million) Source: UBIST

In fact, the overall prescription volume of all eight drug products has decreased since the third quarter of 2016.

 

The overall volume went up for a short while from the fourth quarter in 2018, but it bounced back down since last second quarter.

 

The trend was not so different for Mavyret, either.

 

In last second quarter, the drug volume peaked at 12 billion won, but it kept on dropping down to 10.9 billion won in the following quarter and 9.2 billion won in the next.

 

The fall got steeper as well.

 

The volume fell from the second to third quarter last year by nine percent, but it took a 16-percent fall from the third to fourth quarter.

 

◆ Prescription volume of Harvoni, Sunvepra and Zepatier plunges As Mavyret’s market share soared, the former market leaders from Gilead Sciences, Harvoni and Sovaldi’s prescription volume took a rapid fall.

 

Harvoni generated 4.2 billion won last year, whereas Sovaldi only generated 2.2 billion won.

 

Compared to their golden age in 2017 respectively making 61.8 billion won and 10.7 billion won, Harvoni and Sovaldi’s pie in the market have vastly shriveled.

 

Yearly prescription volume of 8 hepatitis C treatments (Unit: KRW 100 million) Source: UBIST

Other treatments in the same market are not too far off.

 

Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Daklinza and Sunvepra each generated 300 million won and 100 million won last year.

 

First ones to be released as DAA for hepatitis C, the two treatments used to top the market making 36.8 billion won and 9.3 billion won, respectively.

 

But soon after, the market was engulfed by follow-on drugs with evolved effects.

 

Reportedly, their monthly prescription volumes (Sunvepra: 7.65 million won; Daklinza: 1.94 million won) did not even reach ten million won in last December.

 

They would soon become the drugs of the olden days.

 

Zepatier by MSD has made 2.6 billion won last year.

 

Blocked by Harvoni around the launch and then by Mavyret, the MSD’s treatment has never shined through the market and is now sliding down the slope.

 

Other hepatitis C treatment by AbbVie, Exviera and Viekira, have not been prescribed for even once from July last year.

 

Mavyret presumably absorbed the entire pie of those two treatments.

 

◆ Accumulated prescription volume, Harvoni tops followed by Daklinza and Mavyret Then which company profited the most from the DAA for hepatitis C?

 

Gilead Sciences accumulated total of 162.2 billion won up to year 2019—Harvoni generated 133.9 billion won and Sovaldi generated 28.3 billion won.

 

Accumulated prescription volume of 8 hepatitis C treatments (Unit: KRW 100 million) Source: UBIST

Bristol-Myers Squibb then followed with 74.3 billion won.

 

The company’s Daklinza made 62.0 billion won and Sunvepra made 12.3 billion won.

 

All three DAA by AbbVie, Mavyret, Viekira and Exviera made 49.2 billion won together.

 

Mavyret made 44.8 billion won, and Viekira and Exviera made 4.1 billion won and 400 million won, respectively.

 

At the bottom of the rank, MSD made 14.5 billion won for four years with Zepatier.