Despite No Japan movement, Japanese companies performed well

Outpatient performance analysis of 6 major Japanese pharmaceutical companies including Astellas

Outpatient prescriptions have increased all the time despite July of boycott

(From left) Lixiana, Aricept, & Harnal D

In the prescription drug market, there was no aftermath of a Japanese boycott.

 

Since July, when the Japanese government began to regulate exports, outpatient prescriptions by Japanese pharmaceutical companies have increased.

 

The high severity of disease and the proportion of original drugs have unaffected by the boycott.

 

According to UBIST data on the 22nd of the pharmaceutical market research institute, outpatient prescription performances of six major Japanese pharmaceutical companies, including Astellas Korea, Daiichi Sankyo Korea, Korea Eisai, Korea Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

 

and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co.

 

The six companies increased 12.6% from the previous year's ₩321.6 billion by jointly acquiring outpatient prescriptions of ₩362.2 billion.

 

This is an increase of 8.1% compared to ₩335.1 billion in the first half of last year.

 

Cumulative prescriptions last year were ₩697.2 billion, up 12.8% year-on-year.

 

Monthly outpatient prescriptions of six major Japanese pharmaceutical companies in 2017-2019 (Unit: ₩ million, Source: UBIST)

The increase in prescription of Daiichi Sankyo Korea was most noticeable.

 

Outpatient prescriptions for Daiichi Sankyo in the second half of last year increased 17.9% YoY to ₩81.9 billion.

 

The outpatient prescription growth rate is 9.1%.

 

Anticoagulant Lixiana, launched in 2016, drove up the performance of prescription drugs.

 

Lyxiana was prescribed for₩30.7 billion in the second half of last year.

 

This is an increase of 60.0% compared to the same period last year.

 

Cumulative prescriptions last year amounted to₩56 billion, up 64.6% from last year Lyxiana is a non-vitamin K antagonist family oral anticoagulant (NOAC).

 

It is prescribed for the prevention of stroke in patients with nonmembranous atrial fibrillation.

 

Lixiana was the latest of the four NOACs, but was updated every quarter, making it the No.

 

1 prescription formula.

 

Astellas Korea has the largest outpatient prescription effect among Japanese pharmaceutical companies included in the report.

 

Outpatient prescriptions for Astellas in the second half of last year rose 12.1% YoY to ₩16.6 billion.

 

It rose 6.6% over the first half.

 

The performance of Astellas was boosted by two major urological products, including prostate hypertrophy treatment Harnal D and overactive bladder treatment Betmiga.

 

In the second half of the year, outpatient prescriptions rose 8.3% YoY to ₩38.3 billion.

 

During the same period, outpatient prescriptions for Betmiga stood at ₩33.3 billion, up 17.3% YoY.

 

Monthly outpatient prescriptions of major specialty drugs sold by Japanese pharmaceutical companies (Unit: ₩ million, Source: UBIST)

Korea's Eisai Pharmaceutical posted an outpatient prescription performance of ₩59 billion, up 12.3% YoY in the second half of last year.

 

Aricept, a flagship product that improves brain function, was prescribed at ₩40.1 billion in the second half of last year, increasing the market size by 12.5%.

 

Outpatient prescriptions for Korea's Takeda Pharmaceutical in the second half of last year are estimated at ₩39.7 billion, up 6.4% YoY.

 

The outpatient prescription of Actos, an anti-diabetes drug, rose 11.1% YoY to ₩10.4 billion, and the prescription amount of the new high blood pressure drug 'Edarbi' released in 2017 was ₩2.8 billion, up 61.1% YoY.

 

In the industry, most of Japan's specialty medicines are original medicines, and there are many cases where there are no alternative drugs, which suggests that they are out of boycott.

 

It is pointed out that it is difficult to change prescription for boycott because of high severity of disease compared to general medicine.

 

In fact, unlike the pharmaceutical associations that have been active in boycotts, associations of doctors have not publicly declared boycotts.