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- 2025-12-24 02:12:33
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- Pfizer pays an average of 1.1 billion won per person
- by Jung, Sae-Im Mar 15, 2023 05:56am
- It was found that Pfizer Korea Pharmaceutical, which implemented an ERP system through organizational reorganization last year, paid 11.5 billion won as compensation for retirement. It is known that about 10 employees applied for voluntary retirement. It is calculated that each person received an average of 1.1 billion won. According to an audit report submitted by Pfizer Pharmaceutical Korea to the Financial Supervisory Service on the 15th, the company paid a total of 17.8 billion won last year as employee severance pay. Retirement benefits are 6.4 billion won and honorary severance pay is 11.5 billion won. The notable part is the honorary severance pay. Retirement pay refers to the severance pay paid by the company upon resignation. Honorary severance pay is in the nature of consolation money. This is an expense paid to employees who applied for voluntary retirement when the company conducts a manpower reduction due to a change in management. Last year, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea conducted an organizational reorganization according to the business environment that changed with Corona 19. As the proportion of digital-centered non-face-to-face sales increases, the direction is to establish a new sales department. As a result, the size of the existing sales team, which was divided into business divisions, was partially reduced. During the reorganization process, the company conducted an in-house 'job posting' to readjust the arrangement of employees who applied for a job transfer and also implemented an early retirement program. About 10 people are said to have left the company due to voluntary retirement. The reorganization was completed in November last year. The total amount of severance pay paid by the company to applicants for voluntary retirement is 11.5 billion won. Although there are variations depending on the number of years of service, each employee received an average of 1.1 billion won as compensation. Pfizer's ERP conditions are not known, but the average condition commonly used in the industry is 2n+8. This means that an additional 8 months' salary is paid for twice the number of years of service. Depending on the company, there are cases where additional special consolation money is paid according to annual leave. This is to induce managers with a long service life to apply for voluntary retirement. The amount of honorary severance pay paid by Pfizer Korea last year was the largest since 2015. Pfizer Korea is often considered a company that implements voluntary retirement programs. In 2013 and 2015, the company paid 18 billion won and 19.2 billion won in honorary retirement benefits, respectively, as a large-scale voluntary retirement program. In 2016, it also spent 6.9 billion won. In 2018, ahead of the spin-off of the out-of-patent drug division (Pfizer Upzone), 9.4 billion won was paid as an honorary severance pay. For 10 years from 2013, the total amount of honorary severance pay paid by Pfizer Korea reached 71.2 billion won. The number of employees is maintained at a similar level by sending out high-ranking managers and recruiting young people. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea, which had about 730 to 750 people before the spin-off of Pfizer Upzone, has grown to 460 people after the separation. Since then, the number has dropped to 406 due to continued voluntary retirement but rose to 420 last year. Recently, it has also started to recruit new sales staff on a large scale. About 10 new employees are selected to be in charge of selling the Corona 19 vaccine and treatment. It is interpreted as a measure to prepare for the private market after the end of the Corona 19 pandemic.
- Company
- HPV vaccination for males a necessity rather than an option
- by Whang, byung-woo Mar 14, 2023 05:51am
- Whether the national immunization program (NIP) for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine should be extended to cover males remains a hot issue in Korea. With the NIP applied for its use in girls aged 12 years or older, the government extended the program to include those aged 13 to 17 (born between 2004 to 2008) and low-income women aged 18 to 26. In countries such as the US, male HPV vaccination is also covered through NIP, but the agenda is still under discussion in Korea. However, as President Yoon Suk-Yeol had announced vaccination to males aged 12 years older using NIP as an election pledge, whether this will really be implemented is gathering attention. For this, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency was found to have been carrying out a research project to analyze the cost-effectiveness of extending NIP to HPV vaccinations in adolescent males on the 3rd. Director Geun-Yong Kwon, Division of Immunization, Bureau of Healthcare Safety and Immunization at KDCA, said, “The new government fully agrees on the need for male HPV vaccinations, and we are in the process of securing evidentiary material to support this. We plan to reflect its inclusion in the budget by early next year." However, the conclusion may not be so easily drawn as it would cost a considerable amount. Due to its characteristics and the NIP, HPV vaccines are better known in Korea as a cervical cancer vaccines. However, men also do get infected with HPV, and the most common clinical manifestation is genital warts in men. At a media session that was held by MSD on the 3rd on the 'A to Z of HPV,’ Seung-Ju Lee, President of the Korean Association of Urogenital Tract Infection and Inflammation (Urology, St. Vincent Hospital) stressed the need for male HPV vaccinations. According to Lee, the prevalence of genital warts in Korea had increased threefold over the past decade, from 25,208 patients in 2010 to 65,203 patients in 2019 prior to the pandemic. Also, although the prevalence of genital warts was higher in women than men, it was highest in men 25-29 years of age. In Korea, genital warts occur mainly in the younger age group, and its incidence tended to be higher in men than in women. Also, there were views that it is important to vaccinate men to prevent cervical cancer, for which the NIP is currently applied to HPV vaccinations for women only. With the yearly rise in the HPV vaccination rate, the prevalence of HPV infections are expected to be decline, however, when considering the time required to achieve herd immunity, Lee explained that it would be more effective if both women and men are vaccinated at the same time. According to MSD, its predictive modeling study in Europe and Belgium showed that allowing HPV vaccination for both men and women was expected to be cost-effective in most countries. while allowing the high vaccination rate to be maintained among girls. Lee said, “Although the domestic HPV vaccination rate exceeded 80% for initial vaccinations, the rate becomes lower when taking into account the second vaccinations. Korea is quite new to applying NIP to HPV vaccines yet, therefore, to create herd immunity, it would be much more effective and also better for preventing male diseases to concurrently allow HPV vaccinations for men under NIP as well.” Among the 110 countries that are conducting HPV vaccinations under NIP, 52 countries including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria have extended its vaccinated subjects from girls to boys (as of March 2022), therefore, it is not unusual that this discussion is being made in Korea. As the government has also been selected extending eligibility for HPV vaccinations using NIP as its national task, it is true that there are positive forces underway supporting the implementation of the system. However, the issue mentioned above is its cost-effectiveness. The KDCA estimates that a budget of approximately KRW 19 billion won will be required every year if HPV vaccination is expanded to boys. In this sense, the results of KDCA’s research project that will be disclosed in the first half of this year may determine the direction of whether the NIP will be expanded to male HPV vaccination in Korea.
- Company
- The erectile dysfunction tx market sales are at an all-time
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Mar 14, 2023 05:51am
- Hanmi Pharmaceutical PalPal Leads for 7 Consecutive Years. Continuation of Dominant System Last year, the domestic erectile dysfunction treatment market grew to the largest ever. Domestic companies' generic products dominated the market, accounting for nearly 90% of the market. According to IQVIA, a drug research institute on the 8th, the size of the erectile dysfunction treatment market last year was 129.1 billion won, up 9.1% from the previous year. Following 2021, it broke the record for the second consecutive year. After recording 113.9 billion won in 2019, the erectile dysfunction treatment market recorded a downward trend to 112.4 billion won the following year. At the time, it was evaluated that growth was dampened as patients' visits to hospitals and clinics decreased due to the prolonged Corona 19 and restrictions were placed on sales marketing activities. It succeeded in rebounding by 5.2% from the previous year to 118.3 billion won in 2021 and continued to grow last year. Products released by domestic pharmaceutical companies dominated the erectile dysfunction treatment market. Last year, sales of erectile dysfunction treatments by domestic companies totaled 114.7 billion won, up 10.8% from the previous year. It increased by 26.6% over four years from 90.6 billion won in 2018, showing a steady rise. Last year, domestic companies accounted for 88.9% of the erectile dysfunction treatment market. It continued to rise every year from 83.8% in 2018. The multinational pharmaceutical company's erectile dysfunction treatment products are Viagra and Cialis. Generic products released by domestic pharmaceutical companies overwhelm original products. Looking at the sales of major products, Hanmi Pharmaceutical's PalPal still showed off its unrivaled prestige in the market. PalPal is a generic product of Viagra. Last year, PalPal's sales increased by 6.3% year-on-year to 21.8 billion won. PalPal's market share in the entire erectile dysfunction treatment market reached 16.9%, so it was influential in the market. PalPal overtook Viagra in the second quarter of 2013, one year after its release, and surpassed Cialis in the fourth quarter of 2015, becoming the leader in erectile dysfunction treatment sales. PalPal has never fallen from the leading position for seven years from the fourth quarter of 2015 to last year. PalPal more than doubled the sales of the original product Viagra (8.7 billion won). Considering that the price of PalPal is significantly lower than that of Viagra, it is possible to calculate that the prescription volume gap is much larger. Chong Kun Dang's Cendom ranked second with sales of 11.4 billion won last year, up 6.1% from the previous year. Hanmi Pharm's Gugu recorded sales of 11.4 billion won, up 18.5% from the previous year, exceeding 10 billion won in annual sales for the first time. Cendom and Gugu are generics of Cialis. Among all erectile dysfunction drugs, only three products (PalPal, Cendom, and Gugu) exceeded 10 billion won in sales. Released after Cialis' patent expired in September 2015, Cendom gradually expanded its market share, surpassing the original product Cialis in the fourth quarter of 2017. In the fourth quarter of 2018, it maintained its second place since surpassing Viagra. Gugu surpassed Cialis in the second quarter of 2019 and also surpassed Viagra in the second quarter of 2021. Sales of Viagra and Cialis, which had built the two major mountain ranges of erectile dysfunction treatments in the past, have gradually decreased. Viagra's sales last year were 8.7 billion won, down 1.1 percent from the previous year. It decreased by 12.3% in 4 years from 9.9 billion won in 2018. Last year, sales of Cialis recorded 5.7 billion won, down 5.2% from the previous year. It fell 22.8% over four years from 7.4 billion won in 2018.
- Company
- Will the new prostate cancer drug Erleada be reimb in April?
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Mar 14, 2023 05:50am
- Whether the new prostate cancer drug ‘Erleada’ will be listed for reimbursement is gaining industry attention. The drug pricing negotiation period for Janssen Korea’s metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) treatment Erleada (apalutamide) with the National Health Insurance Service is about to expire this month (March). Erleada had passed deliberation by the NHIS Cancer Disease Deliberation Committee in February and then that of the Drug Reimbursement Evaluation Committee in December of the same year and has started the drug pricing negotiation process for its reimbursement earlier this year. If the pricing negotiations are completed within the set period, the agenda may be presented for review by the Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee in March. And if the agenda passes HIPDC review, the drug may be listed for reimbursement in April at the earliest. Erleada is an androgen receptor targeted agent (ARTA) and is a latecomer in the same class of drug as ‘Zytiga (abiraterone),’ or ‘Xtandi (enzalutamide).’ The drug’s efficacy was demonstrated through the Phase III TITAN trial that was conducted on 1,052 patients with mHSPC. Although 40% of the patients that were allocated to the placebo arm continued treatment with Erleada, the risk of death in the Erleada arm was 35% lower than that in the placebo arm. At 48 weeks, overall survival (OS) was 65% in the Erleada arm and 52% in the placebo arm. Also, when excluding the effect of patients who switched from the placebo to Erleada in the placebo arm, the risk of death in the Erleada arm was 48% lower than that of the placebo arm. According to data from the Cancer registration· Statistics Program, 16,815 patients in Korea were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020. Among men, prostate cancer is the third most common cancer in Korea, only headed by lung cancer with 19,657 patients and stomach cancer with 17,869 patients and followed by colorectal cancer, which has 16,485 patients. Moreover, among the five most common cancers in men (lung cancer, gastric cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer), only the prevalence of prostate cancer has been increasing at an annual rate that exceeds 5%.
- Company
- Eylea makes sole lead in the ₩100B nAMD Tx market
- by Jung, Sae-Im Mar 13, 2023 05:53am
- (from the left) Eylea, Lucentis, Beovu The sole lead held by ‘Eylea’ in the domestic macular degeneration treatment market has been further solidified last year. Also, Novartis has been aggressively promoting sales of its recently launched new drug ‘Beovu.' With Novartis focusing its sales strategy on Beovu, sales of the company’s lesser priority, 'Lucentis,’ further declined last year. According to the market research institution IQVIA on the 11th, Korea’s macular degeneration treatment market grew by 14% YoY from KRW 111.1 billion the previous year and recorded KRW 126.3 billion last year.. Neovascular (Wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration (nAMD) is considered one of the 3 major causes of blindness in the elderly aged 65 or older. The risk increases as one grows older. The growth of abnormal blood vessels (neovascular) results in the leakage of blood, lipid, or subretinal fluid, which damage the macula and lead to vision loss. Excluding ‘Avastin,’ which is used off-label, three treatments are available for nAMD in Korea – Bayer’s ‘Eylea (aflibercept),’ Novartis’s ‘Lucentis (ranibizumab)' and ‘Beovu (brolucizumab).’ Lucentis was the first to be approved in 2007, followed by Eylea in 2013. A decade later, Beovu was approved as a new drug. Also, another new drug, Roche’s ‘Vabysmo,’ was approved in January this year. Eylea made a new annual sales record of KRW 80.4 billion last year. This is a 14% YoY increase from KRW 70.5 billion in 2021. Eylea’s strength is that it allows patients to receive customized treatment by offering a broad dosing interval ranging from a minimum of 4 weeks to a maximum of 16 weeks. The drug contributed to the establishment of the treat-and-extend (T&E) regimen in nAMD treatment, where the patients’ dosing interval is regulated after monitoring the patients during the initial 3 months of treatment. Last year, the company introduced a pre-filled syringe formulation that reduces preparation time for drug administration by preparing the accurate dose for single administration in advance. The new formulation improved the convenience of the treatment process. However, sales of Lucentis, which was 2nd place in the market, have been decreasing for 2 consecutive years. Lucentis’s annual sales decreased by 16% from the KRW 35.1 billion to record KRW 29.4 billion last year. Lucentis’s sales have been decreasing continuously after peaking at KRW 37 billion in 2020. The change occurred when Novartis, its seller, received approval for its new nAMD treatment Beovu. Lucentis has been developed by Genentech and marketed by Roche and Novartis. In Korea, Lucentis is being sold by Novartis. Novartis developed its new drug and succeeded in receiving marketing approval for the drug in 2022. The decrease in Lucentis’s sales had been an expected result with Novartis focusing its capabilities on the sales of Beovu. Also, the entry of Lucentis’s biosimilars into the market upon Lucentis’s patent expiry heated up the competition this year. Chong Kun Dang and Samsung Bioepis started selling their Lucentis Biosimilars, ‘LucenBS,' and ‘Amelivu inj’ in January this year. With both drugs listed for reimbursement, Lucentis’s drug price had been reduced by 30% ex officio from February this year. Lucentis’s position as the original drug in the market is expected to weaken further as the companies that own Lucentis biosimilars have been competitively lowering drug prices to gain an advantage earlier in the market. Meanwhile, Novartis’s new drug Beovu’s sales exceeded KRW 10 billion last year. Last year, Beovu’s sales increased 205% YoY from the KRW 5.4 billion in the previous year to record KRW 16.5 billion. Unlike other existing treatments that have dosing intervals of 4-8 weeks, Beovu has a dosing interval of up to 12 weeks (3 months). This was evaluated to have improved patient compliance by reducing the difficulties of patients that had to receive injections into the eye. The low compliance in patients with nAMD had been pointed to as a major issue that reduces the actual treatment effect of the nAMD treatments. Beovu demonstrated its non-inferiority with Eylea with its 12-week administration through a head-to-head trial. The therapeutic effect lasted until week 96. Also, the Beovu-treated group showed superior improvement in intra-retinal fluid and sub-retinal fluid compared to the Eylea-treated group The reason Beovu produces a similar effect despite the longer dosing interval is due to its molecular characteristics. Beovu’s single-chain antibody fragment (ScFv) is engineered to deliver a higher concentration of molecules compared to other treatments with multiple chains. However, HCPs have been showing divided opinions on its use due to its side effect of retinal vasculitis, which is unseen in other existing treatments. In particular, the introduction of Vabysmo, the first bispecific antibody introduced to the field of ophthalmic diseases, is expected to somewhat dilute Beovu’s strengths of 'high efficacy and convenience.’ Vabysmo is the first bispecific antibody that targets both the VEGF which is commonly targeted by existing ocular disease treatments as well as Ang-2 that is considered to be the cause of retinal disease to block both pathways. In particular, it has improved convenience in administration over other existing treatments with a dosing interval of up to 16 weeks (4 months). If listed for reimbursement, Vabysmo is expected to start a full-fledged competition with Beovu.
- Company
- Pharmaceutical companies are fiercely competing to develop
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Mar 13, 2023 05:53am
- In the hyperlipidemia combination drug market of 'statin + ezetimibe', competition to develop a two-drug combination using 'low-dose statin' is intensifying. According to the pharmaceutical industry on the 11th, Yuhan Corporation is developing a combination drug for hyperlipidemia with Ezetimibe added to Atorvastatin 5mg through its subsidiary Addpharma. Yuhan already has three products, including Atovamibe, a two-component complex. The dose of Ezetimibe is the same at 10 mg, and only the doses of Atorvastatin are different at 10 mg, 20 mg, and 40 mg. Yuhan Corporation's plan is to add a combination drug based on the 5mg dose of Atorvastatin. Rosuzet 10/2.5mg, a low-dose hyperlipidemia drug from Hanmi Pharmaceutical According to the original developer, Addpharma, the development of the corresponding dose product is currently in the final stage, and it is expected that it will be possible to apply for product approval as early as this month. If the item is approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, it will be the first product for hyperlipidemia combined with low-dose atorvastatin. In addition to Addpharma, several companies are said to be developing complex drugs with the same combination of ingredients and doses. This is the background to the prospect that competition in the market for the variety of Atorvastatin 5mg and Ezetimibe will intensify in the future. Hanmi Pharmaceutical opened the door to developing a combination drug for hyperlipidemia based on low-dose statins. In September 2021, Hanmi Pharmaceutical obtained permission for 'Rosuzet 10/2.5mg', in which Ezetimibe was added to Rosuvastatin 2.5mg. It is known that the low-dose product is rapidly increasing prescription performance after the benefit was launched in October of that year. According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical market research institute, the outpatient prescription amount of Rosuzet increased by 14% from the previous year to 140.3 billion won last year. The pharmaceutical industry believes that the addition of low-dose products contributed to the expansion of Rosuzet's overall prescription record. Recently, it is said that the monthly prescription amount has expanded to more than 1 billion won. As low-dose Rosuzet gained market acceptance, other companies jumped into developing low-dose Rosuvastatin-based combinations. Daewoong Pharmaceutical received approval for Crezet 10/2.5mg with the same ingredient and dose combination as Rosuzet in August of last year. Since February of this year, Yuhan Corporation's Rosuvamibe, HK inno.N Rovazet, and GC Pharma Daviduo have also added low-dose Rosuvastatin-based complexes to their product lineups. An official from the pharmaceutical industry said, “The core dose of Rosuvastatin was 5 mg, and Hanmi Pharmaceutical succeeded in increasing the prescription performance of Rosuzet by releasing a low-dose product that halved the dose.” There is a possibility of market success because the product is half the existing core dose (10 mg).”
- Company
- Gastric cancer is the first immuno-oncology option available
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Mar 13, 2023 05:53am
- In the field of gastric cancer, attention is paid to whether the first immuno-oncology drug insurance benefit registration can be achieved. As a result of the coverage, it is possible to propose the HIRA in April for Opdivo, an immune anticancer drug with PD-1 inhibitory mechanism, from Ono Korea Pharmaceuticals and Korea BMS Pharmaceuticals. In June 2021, Opdivo added an indication for 'combination therapy with fluoropyrimidine-based and platinum-based chemotherapy as the first-line treatment for advanced or metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma, gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, or esophageal adenocarcinoma' in Korea. It is the first and only approved immune anti-cancer drug in Korea for first-line gastric cancer treatment. This drug failed to pass the HIRA committee in February of last year and submitted a re-application, and passed the cancer disease review committee in June of the same year. If it is presented to the committee in April and passed, it is expected that the first half of the year will be possible at the earliest. Opdivo was also recognized for its benefit adequacy in the UK at the end of last year. The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence recently recommended Opdivo for use in chemotherapy-naive patients with PD-L1 expression, HER-2 negative, advanced metastatic gastric cancer or gastroesophageal junction cancer, and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Gastric cancer is currently the second largest cancer after lung cancer, and the need to expand the reimbursement of immuno-anticancer drugs is on the rise. Gastric cancer is a typical cancer type that ranks first in the prevalence of cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in Korea. If detected early, the survival rate is good, but when distant metastasis progresses, the 5-year relative survival rate drops sharply to 5.9%. In particular, HER2-negative gastric cancer patients, who account for 90% of advanced gastric cancer patients, have been receiving chemotherapy as a standard treatment since there has been no newly approved new drug in the first-line treatment for the past 10 years. Opdivo could be an alternative for these patients.
- Company
- GC Pharma begins develop of mRNA flu vaccine candidates
- by Hwang, Jin-joon Mar 10, 2023 05:50am
- GC Pharma researcher is conducting drug research. (Photo by GC Pharma)Invested in mRNA pilot production facilities in Hwasun Vaccine Plant in Jeollanam-do. GC Pharma announced on the 9th that it will apply Acuitas Therapeutics' Lipid Nano Particle (LNP) technology to develop mRNA flu vaccine candidates in earnest. GC Pharma signed an LNP-related Development and Option Agreement with Acuitas in Canada in April of last year. Through the study, the possibility of developing an mRNA flu vaccine was confirmed. We recently exercised our non-exclusive licensing agreement option for the LNP. LNPs safely transport nanoparticles into cells in the body to help mRNA function. It is a key technology required for mRNA-based drug development. The LNP technology owned by Acuitas, a company specializing in the development of LNP delivery systems, was also applied to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine COMIRNATY. GC Pharma plans to conduct a phase 1 clinical trial of its mRNA vaccine candidate in 2024. GC Pharma also started investing in mRNA production facilities. It decided to invest in mRNA trial production facilities at its Hwasun plant in Jeollanam-do, which produces the existing flu vaccine.
- Company
- Myelofibrosis New Drug Inrebic
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Mar 10, 2023 05:50am
- Inrebic, a myelofibrosis treatment option born 10 years after Jakavi, is accelerating its steps toward insurance coverage. As a result of the coverage, BMS Pharmaceutical's myelofibrosis treatment Inrebic is in the process of drug price negotiations with the NHIS. Depending on the negotiation date, it is expected that it will be possible to determine whether or not to register in April. Inrebic was approved in Korea in April of last year for the treatment of splenomegaly or symptoms related to primary myelofibrosis, polycythemia vera, and myelofibrosis after essential thrombocythemia in adult patients previously treated with Jakavi. An application for reimbursement was submitted, but in June of last year, it failed to pass the HIRA, after re-application, it passed both the Cancer Disease Review Committee and the Pharmaceutical Reimbursement Evaluation Committee last month. This drug is a JAK-2 inhibitor and is expected to be different from Jakavi, a JAK1/2 inhibitor. Inrebic is the first to obtain approval for an oral once-a-day drug that greatly reduces the burden of spleen volume and symptoms in patients with myelofibrosis who have not had a history of treatment. Myelofibrosis is a rare blood cancer that affects the bone marrow and interferes with the body's normal production of blood cells. Patients suffer from symptoms such as an enlarged spleen, fatigue, itching, weight loss, night sweats, fever, and bone pain, which affect their quality of life. experience symptoms. Jakavi was the only JAK inhibitor approved for the treatment of myelofibrosis, and there was no alternative for patients who failed treatment. Inrevic is a treatment that appeared 10 years after Jakavi in the myelofibrosis market, where there was no second-line treatment option. Inrebic is currently covered through the Cancer Drug Fund in the UK. In 2021, NICE refused to apply Inrebic for NHS coverage. However, CDF recommends the use of Inrebic within its oncology fund for the treatment of splenomegaly or other symptoms associated with the disease in patients with myelofibrosis who have previously been treated with Jakavi.
- Company
- Enbrel's share is 44% and Herceptin's share is 37%
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Mar 10, 2023 05:50am
- Mabthera, Avastin, and Humira similars also saw a sharp rise in market share new product addition effect. The share of biosimilar products in the domestic market is rapidly expanding. Enbrel biosimilars Etanercept increased its market share from 12% in 2018 to 44% last year. Herceptin similars also expanded from 9% to 37% during the same period. ◆Eucept and Remaloce, Enbrel similar, had a 44% market share with sales of 8.1 billion won last year According to IQVIA, a pharmaceutical market research institute, on the 10th, the market for Etanercept ingredient treatment last year was 18.2 billion won. Pfizer Enbrel, the original product, recorded 10.1 billion won and Enbrel biosimilar 8.1 billion won, respectively. In terms of market share, original drugs accounted for 56% and biosimilars 44%. The market share of biosimilars has risen significantly over the past four years. In 2018, Enbrel's biosimilar market share was only 12%, but it increased by 32%p in 4 years, greatly narrowing the gap with the original. LG Chem's Eucept and Samsung Bioepis' Remaloce have been released as Enbrel biosimilars. Last year's sales were 4.1 billion won for Eucept and 4 billion won for Remaloce. Until now, biosimilars have been evaluated as not impacting the domestic market, unlike Europe and the United States. It is analyzed that recently, biosimilar products are gradually increasing their influence in Korea. It is analyzed that new products have been steadily released, centered on Samsung Bioepis and Celltrion, and the preference for similar products has gradually increased in the prescription field. ◆Herceptin-similar market share 9% → 37%/ Avastin similar achieved 21% in 1 year Other biosimilars have also significantly increased their market share recently. In the case of the trastuzumab market, the share of Herceptin biosimilars increased by 28%p in 4 years from 9% in 2018 to 37% last year. Celltrion Herzuma and Samsung Bioepis Samfenet were released as Herceptin biosimilars. Last year, sales were 29 billion won for Herzuma and 5.6 billion won for Samfenet. Herzuma's sales increased 3.7 times in 4 years from 7.7 billion won in 2018 to last year. Samfenet increased 2.5 times in 3 years from 2.2 billion won in 2019. The original Herceptin sales decreased by 25% from 80 billion won in 2018 to 60 billion won last year. Original's market share declined from 91% to 63%. Avastin biosimilars are also rapidly expanding their market share. Samsung Bioepis released the Avastin biosimilar Onbevezy in the fourth quarter of 2021. Onbevezy, which recorded sales of 500 million won in the first year of its release, saw its sales skyrocket to 20.5 billion won last year. As sales soared, Onbevezy's Bevacizumab market share quickly expanded to 21%. Here, Celltrion Vegzelma, Alvogen Korea Alymsys, and Pfizer Korea Pharmaceutical ZIRABEV are aiming to enter the market. If these products are added in earnest, the share of biosimilars in the Avastin market is expected to rise further. Mabthera biosimilars' share in the rituximab market increased from 8% in 2018 to 25% last year. Currently, Celltrion's Truxima is sold alone. Humira biosimilars recorded a 9% market share last year. Samsung Bioepis released Adalloce in the third quarter of 2021, and Celltrion released Yuflyma in the third quarter of last year. Sales last year were 7.6 billion won for Adaloch and 500 million won for Yuflyma. Remicade biosimilars recorded a 38% market share last year. Celltrion Remsima posted 29.3 billion won in sales last year, and Samsung Bioepis Remaloce posted 4.9 billion won in sales. The original Remicade's sales are 55.5 billion won.
