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- 2025-12-25 04:43:00
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- Cancer immunotherapy are being applied to expand benefits
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Apr 26, 2022 06:11am
- Tecentriq will apply primary therapy benefits for liver and non-small cell lung cancer from May According to related industries, Roche Tecentriq will be applied to liver cancer and non-small cell lung cancer indicators from May as Merck and Pfizer Bavencio (Avelumab) passed the Cancer Drugs Benefit Appraisal Committee. The benefit standards were set as the first solo maintenance therapy in adult patients with local progressive or metastatic urinary tract epithelial cell cancer that did not progress in platinum-based chemotherapy treatment. If benefit adequacy is recognized by the HIRA's Drug Benefit Evaluation Committee and drug price negotiations are concluded with the NHIS, it will be eligible for insurance benefits. In the case of Tecentriq, benefits will be applied in the first monotherapy if it is a metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with positive PD-L1 expression and no EGFR or ALK mutation from the 1st of next month. It succeeded in applying liver cancer benefits for the first time among immuno-cancer drugs. Combination therapy of Tecentriq and Avastin (Bevacizumab) can be given first-line benefit if both 3 or higher, Child-Pugh class A grade, and ECOG PS) 0 to 1 point are satisfied among patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma that cannot be operated or treated locally. MSD's Keytruda has expanded its standards for primary therapy for non-small cell lung cancer since last month. Benefits are also applied to patients with recurrent or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and children aged 2 or older who have failed at least two previous treatments, patients with progressive (stage 4) non-small cell lung cancer with positive PD-L1 expression and no EGFR or ALK mutation, patients with metastatic non-flat non-small cell lung cancer without EGFR or ALK mutation, patients with metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer, and if autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation fails, or autologous stem cell transplantation is not a treatment option. Benefits are also applied to patients with recurrent or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and children aged 2 or older who have failed at least two previous treatments, patients with progressive (stage 4) non-small cell lung cancer with positive PD-L1 expression and no EGFR or ALK mutation, patients with metastatic non-flat non-small cell lung cancer without EGFR or ALK mutation (combined with chemotherapy), patients with metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer (combined with anticancer chemotherapy), and if autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation fails, or autologous stem cell transplantation is not a treatment option.
- Company
- JAKi options added to Dupixent for atopic dermatitis
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Apr 25, 2022 06:07am
- Two new treatment options were added to the field of atopic dermatitis that had only Dupixent as an option. The new options are both JAK inhibitors. The Ministry of Health and Welfare had issued a pre-administrative notice on the ‘Details on the standard and methods for applying long-term care benefits (pharmaceuticals)’ and announced it will expand the scope of reimbursement for two types of JAK inhibitors – Lilly Korea’s ‘Olumiant (baricitinib),’ and Abbvie Korea’s ‘Rinvoq (upadacitinib)’ – in atopic dermatitis. With the approval, JAK inhibitors have entered the field of atopic dermatitis in just one year since applying for reimbursement (for Olumiant). By reimbursement standards, the drugs may be used for the treatment of patients with severe chronic atopic dermatitis whose condition has lasted for over 3 years and whose symptom is not adequately controlled despite the use of topical treatment (corticosteroids and/or calcineurin inhibitors) and does not respond to over 3 months of systemic immunosuppressants (cyclosporine or methotrexate) (which is measured by a 50% or more reduction of EASI) or is not eligible for their use due to side effects, and whose EASI score is 23 or higher before starting treatment. As both drugs are relatively cheaper than Dupixent, the drugs are expected to become major options in the field of atopic dermatitis in the future. Dupixent selectively inhibits IL-4, and IL-13, which are known as key cytokines that cause atopic dermatitis. The drug is highly effective as it targets specific cytokines, but may not be as effective in some patients. On the other hand, JAK inhibitors including Rinvoq are involved in a relatively broader set of cytokines. The cytokines deliver signals through various pathways including the JAK-STAT pathway by binding to their receptors on the cell surface, and JAK inhibitors target the JAK enzyme that orders proteins that play a key role in Immune-inflammation regulation. The differences in MOA also bring other differences. The biologic agent Dupixent is an injection type of drug whereas JAK inhibitors are small-molecule drugs that can be taken orally. Oral drugs like Rinvoq can be a good alternative that can increase convenience for patients who have trouble receiving regular injections in clinics. Meanwhile, the insurance authorities are discussing extending reimbursement of Dupixent to pediatric and adolescent patients with atopic dermatitis.
- Company
- COVID-19 Tx Lagevrio lands in tertiary hospitals in Korea
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Apr 25, 2022 06:07am
- The oral COVID-19 treatment ‘Lagevrio’ has officially landed for prescriptions at general hospitals in Korea. According to industry sources, MSD Korea’s Lagevrio (molnupiravir) has passed the drug committees of tertiary hospitals including the Seoul National University Hospital in Korea. With the approval, the drug may be prescribed for in-hospital dispensing at tertiary hospitals and for in-hospital and out-hospital dispensing at general hospitals. Lagevrio, which is directly supplied by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency through direct contracts, has been prescribed at dispensed at frontline convalescent hospitals, medical institutions, and designated pharmacies until now. The World Health Organization had issued conditional recommendations for the use of Lagevrio for patients at very high risk of hospitalization such as ▲those who haven’t received vaccinations for COVID-19, ▲those severely immunocompromised due to immunotherapy, etc., and ▲those with chronic diseases such as diabetes and published this revised COVID-19 treatment guideline in the British Medical Journal in March. Lagevrio is a ribonucleoside analog that is inserted in the place of the normal RNA needed in the viral replication process to induce lethal mutagenesis. As the first oral antiviral to be included in the WHO’s COVID-19 treatment guideline, the metanalysis of 6 clinical trials on Lagevrio in 4,827 patients showed that the drug reduced the rate of hospitalization by 36% compared to its comparator and showed a 3.4 day faster symptom improvement. Also, an interim and full analysis of a Phase III trial on Lagevrio showed that the drug demonstrated a reduction in the risk of hospitalization and death in outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who were at risk of progressing to severe disease. In the planned interim analysis at 29 days after treatment, 14.1% (53/377) of the randomized patients had been hospitalized or died (8 cases) in the placebo group, whereas 7.3% (28/385) of the randomized patients were hospitalized with no deaths recorded in the Lagevrio group. The absolute risk reduction between the Lagevrio and placebo group was 6.8%, in which Lagevrio reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by around 50% by Day 29. Meanwhile, Lagevrio was approved for use in the UK as the first oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19 in November last year and then received emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration in December of the same year. MSD has signed supply agreements for the drug in 30 countries including Korea, the US, the UK, Germany, Australia, and Japan, and has been supplying Lagevrio to the countries.
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- Sales of Expectants & antibiotic have increased
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Apr 25, 2022 06:07am
- Sales in the outpatient prescription market have been rising sharply this year. Sales in the prescription market have been rising as the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases has soared since late last year. The Expectant and antibiotic prescription market, which is used for colds and infectious disease diseases, recovered to the level before the outbreak of COVID-19 as it emerged from the sluggishness of the past two years. According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical research institute, on the 20th, the amount of outpatient prescriptions for medicines in the first quarter was 4.1248 trillion won, up 6.5% from the same period last year. This is the second time after 4.22 trillion won in the fourth quarter of last year. The outpatient prescription market showed a pattern of slowing growth after the spread of COVID-19. The prescription amount in 2019 was 15.2318 trillion won, up 8.2% from the previous year, but the growth rate in 2020 and last year was only 2.7% and 3.0%, respectively. In the first quarter of last year, the prescription amount increased 2.0% from the previous year to 3.8746 trillion won, but this year is the first time since the third quarter of 2019 that the quarterly prescription growth rate exceeded 6% compared to the same period last year. In more than two years, the growth before the outbreak of COVID-19 has recovered. The slowdown in the prescription market growth over the past two years is pointed out as the direct cause of COVID-19. After the spread of COVID-19, the market for related treatments also shrank significantly as the number of patients with infectious diseases such as flu and colds plunged due to strengthening personal hygiene management such as washing hands and wearing masks. This year, if there are many COVID-19 confirmed cases, hundreds of thousands of people poured out a day, and the demand for COVID-19 symptom-relieving treatments such as cold medicine surged. The government also encouraged pharmaceutical companies to increase production as the supply of cold medicines and anti-inflammatory analgesics failed to keep up with demand. In the first quarter, the amount of outpatient prescriptions for expectorants was 53.3 billion won, up 116.6% from 24.6 billion won during the same period last year. It is the first time in more than two years that the quarterly prescription performance of expectorants has exceeded 50 billion won since the fourth quarter of 2019 Prescription market of expectorants has been on the decline since recording KRW 54.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019. In the second quarter of 2020, the amount of prescription for expectorants was 26.5 billion won, down 43.8% from the previous year, and remained at 20 billion won for six consecutive quarters until the third quarter of last year. After the spread of COVID-19, the prescription market was directly hit by a sharp drop in cold patients. However, in the fourth quarter of last year, the prescription amount of expectorants began to rebound to 33.8 billion won, and this year, the market size recovered to the level before the spread of COVID-19. The amount of prescriptions for expectants in the first quarter was 33.2 billion won, up 164.4% from a year-on- Expectants decreased from 37.1 billion won in prescriptions in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 14.3 billion won in the second quarter of 2020, when COVID-19 began to spread in earnest. The amount of outpatient prescriptions for oral cephalosporin drugs in the first quarter was 65.1 billion won, up 49.6% from the previous year. Cephalosporin drugs, also called "Cepha antibiotics," are antibiotics widely used for pneumonia, sore throat, tonsillitis, and bronchitis. The amount of oral cephalosporin prescription in the first quarter is the largest since it recorded 75.6 billion won in the fourth quarter of 2019. Sales of Cephalosporin drugs have also shrunk significantly over the past two years due to a sharp drop in flu or cold patients due to the prolonged COVID-19. In recent years, it has recovered to the level of previous years due to a surge in the number of COVID-19 confirmed patients. In the case of oral PCN preparations, it recorded 52.7 billion won in the fourth quarter of 2019, but it was reduced by more than half to 20 billion won from the second quarter of 2020 to the third quarter of last year. It recorded 34.3 billion won in the fourth quarter of last year and showed a higher increase in recent years.
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- LDL-C target for cardiovascular dz will be lowered in Korea
- by Apr 25, 2022 06:07am
- The LDL-C target figure for South Korea's ultra-high-risk group for cardiovascular diseases is expected to be lowered to a similar level to global guidelines. The Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis held the Spring Cardiovascular Integration Academic Conference online and offline at the HICO on the 15th and 16th and unveiled some of the latest revised versions of the Dyslipidemia Treatment Guidelines. This amendment (the 5th edition) is the first revision of the guidelines for treating dyslipidemia in 4 years since 2018. In the meantime, in the United States and Europe, LDL-C targets for ultra-high-risk groups for cardiovascular diseases were lowered simultaneously. The ESC recommended lowering the target LDL-C level of the ultra-high-risk group for cardiovascular disease to 55 mg/dL, and considering less than 40 for extreme risk groups, such as patients who have experienced a second cardiovascular event. The AACE also recommends the LDL-C target value of the extreme risk group for cardiovascular disease at 55. This is because the premise that "the lower the LDL-C level, the higher the cardiovascular disease-related benefits" is accepted internationally. Korea, which remained in the 2018 guidelines, still sets the LDL-C target value for the ultra-high-risk group below 70. As the revision was made for the first time in four years, Korea also included changes in global guidelines in the new revision. The main focus of the amendment is a stronger LDL-C treatment strategy than before. Kim Sang-hyun, a professor of circulatory internal medicine at Seoul National University Hospital, introduced the framework and direction of the revision being prepared this year under the theme of "the goal of LDL-C treatment for ultra-high-risk/high-risk groups for cardiovascular diseases." According to the revised bill released by Professor Kim, the society classified the clinical situation into five according to the patient's risk level by judging the presence or absence of cardiovascular risk factors, and recommended lowering the LDL-C target overall by risk group. If the existing guidelines consisted of four groups: ultra-high-risk, high-risk, medium-risk, and low-risk, the revision is characterized by more detailed groups. Among the five groups according to the clinical situation, the highest risk group is coronary artery disease and diabetes (with targeted organ damage or three or more major cardiovascular disease risk factors). The amendment presented the group with the lowest LDL-C target of less than 55. The second group is a case of atherosclerosis ischemic stroke/daily cerebral ischemic stroke, carotid artery disease, peripheral artery disease, abdominal aneurysm, diabetes (with risk factors for cardiovascular disease over 10 years of illness or one or two). It was recommended that the group be targeted below LDL-C 70. The third group is a group of patients with less than 10 years of diabetes and no major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, with a target figure of less than 100. The other two groups were moderate risk groups (more than two major risk factors) and low risk groups (less than one major risk factor), respectively, with LDL-C targets of less than 130 and 160. It is noteworthy that LDL-C target values of coronary artery disease patients who have experienced myocardial infarction and angina were adjusted to be less than 55 and at least 50% lower than the baseline (Recommended grade 1, Evidence level A). Existing medical guidelines recommended reducing the LDL-C target for these patients by less than 70 or 50% or more. The association plans to unveil the final revision within the first half of this year. It is because it is still judged that expert discussion is necessary. In the case of diabetic patients, it was agreed that more discussion is needed on what to do with the LDL-C target value depending on the risk. A domestic data base to be used in determining patient risk should also be established.
- Company
- Samsung BioLogics acquired all of its shares in Epis
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Apr 24, 2022 06:33pm
- View of Samsung Bioepis buildingSamsung BioLogics will incorporate Samsung Bioepis as a 100% subsidiary and operate a separate management system. Samsung BioLogics announced on the 20th that it has completed the first payment of $1 billion in the acquisition of Epis shares to Biogen. From the day the first payment was completed under the contract between the two companies, Epis was officially converted into a 100% subsidiary of Samsung BioLogics. Earlier in January, Samsung BioLogics signed a contract with Biogen to acquire 10,341,852 shares of Epis (50%-1 share) for 2.7655 trillion won. Of the total amount, $50 million is equivalent to an additional "Earn-out" cost if certain conditions are met, and the remaining $2.25 billion will be paid in installments over the next two years. Samsung BioLogics raised a total of 3.2008 trillion won through a paid-in capital increase in shareholders' allocation to raise the cost of acquiring Epis shares. It achieved a high subscription rate of more than 100% in the paid-in capital increase public subscription for shareholders. The public offering of 400 billion won worth of shares for executives and employees recorded a subscription rate of nearly 100%, while existing shareholders such as Samsung C&T and Samsung Electronics made 100% subscriptions. As a result, Samsung BioLogics ended its partnership with Biogen for the first time in 10 years. Samsung BioLogics established Epis in 2012 in the form of a joint venture with Biogen. Epis was launched in February 2012 with a capital of 164.7 billion won. At this time, Biogen invested 24.7 billion won, or 15% of its capital. In 2018, Biogen raised its stake to 50% when it exercised its call option for Samsung Epis. Initially, Biogen established Samsung Biologics and signed a call option contract to transfer shares of Samsung Bioepis up to 50% - 1 share by June 29, 2018. Biogen decided to acquire shares when the call option contract expired. In June 2018, Samsung BioLogics took over 9,226,068 shares of Epis 19,567,921 shares for $700 million (748.6 billion won). Samsung BioLogics said, "As the joint management system with Biogen is transformed into Samsung BioLogics' sole management system, independent and rapid decision-making on Epis is expected to be possible. Through this, we believe that we will be able to push for mid- to long-term growth strategies such as the development of new pipelines, open innovation, and new drugs more quickly and flexibly." Starting with the acquisition of Epis, Samsung BioLogics plans to take a leap forward toward global bio companies. It is expected to internalize Epis' R&D capabilities in biopharmaceutical and expand its business portfolio to the development of new drugs in the long run. Samsung BioLogics plans to continue its bold and preemptive investment to secure future growth engines by using the investment funds secured by the paid-in capital increase to build its fourth plant and purchase additional sites. John Lim, president of Samsung Biologics, said, "Epis' capabilities and know-how will as an opportunity to making Samsung's bio business a global top tier."
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- Tecentriq, first immunotherapy reimbursed in liver cancer
- by jung, sae-im Apr 22, 2022 06:07am
- Roche’s Tecentriq(atezolizumab) became the first cancer immunotherapy to be approved for reimbursement in liver cancer. Analysts have assessed that it had prepared the footsold to expand its sales with the first expansion in its scope of reimbursement in 3 years since 2019. Tecentriq is continuing its stride to overcome the stronghold of Keytruda, the current leader in the cancer immunotherapy market. The National Health Insurance Service had preannounced the posting of the ‘Revision to the notice for drugs prescribed and administered to cancer patients’ that contains a new category created to establish reimbursement standards for Tecentriq in liver cancer. The reimbursement will be applied from May 1st. According to the amendment, Tecentriq will be reimbursed as monotherapy in first-line for patients with metastatic NSCLC whose tumors are PD-L1 positive (TC≥50% or IC≥ 10%) and do not have EGFR of ALK mutations. Also, the drug will become the first immunotherapy to be approved for liver cancer (patocellular carcinoma, HCC). Among patients with advanced or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), those satisfy all of the following conditions: ▲who are Stage III or higher ▲Child-Pugh class A and ▲have a ECOG PS (performance status) 0-1, may receive reimbursement for Tecentriq in the first-line in combination with Avastin (bevacizumab). The drug is approved for reimbursement for basically one year in liver cancer, and when no clinical results are announced on the optimal period of administration within the year, reimbursement can be approved for up to 2 years at the most. As a latecomer in cancer immunotherapy, the company has been hurrying to extend its reimbursement to expand its share in the market. Although the agenda had made slow progress after passing the Cancer Drug Deliberation Committee in February last year, the agenda gained momentum this year and was finally approved after 1 year and 2 months. Source: IQVIA In terms of reimbursement, Tecentriq’s scope has neared that of the immunotherapy leader Keytruda. Keytruda currently owns the broadest indication among all cancer immunotherapies. The drug was approved for 18 indications in 14 cancer types including lung cancer, head and neck cancer, melanoma, and gastric cancer. However, among the approved indications, Keytruda is only reimbursed for NSCLC, Hodgkin lymphoma., and melanoma. It took the drug 4 years just to extend the scope of reimbursement (both monotherapy and combination therapy) to first-line from second-line in NSCLC. This goes to show how difficult reimbursement extensions are for the costly immunotherapies. Roche has been expanding its reimbursement relatively quickly by actively accepting government proposals. It succeeded in entering reimbursement in one year since its approval, and in 2019, it became the first immuno-oncology drug to remove the PD-L1 expression rate restriction and broaden its scope of reimbursement. Based on this, Tecentriq posted ₩67.2 billion in sales last year based on the drug research institution IQVIA. This is an 81.6% increase from the ₩37 billion made in the previous year. It is only one-third of the sales of Keytruda, which is posted nearly ₩200 billion won, but Tecentriq’s sales are increasing at a rapid pace. The drug significantly narrowed its gap with Opdivo (₩85 billion), the runner-up in the market. The extended reimbursement approval this year has laid the grounds for Tecentriq’s sales expansion. In particular, Tecentriq is the only drug that entered reimbursement among cancer immunotherapies, and is expected to bring a significant impact on the drug’s sales growth. The Tecentriq and Avastin combination extended the survival period of liver cancer patients by about 6 months compared to Nexavar (sorafenib), the only first-line drug that had been available for 10 years.
- Company
- The opinions of the pharmaceutical community vary widely
- by jung, sae-im Apr 22, 2022 06:07am
- Employees of pharmaceutical companies who have entered the era of post-COVID-19 due to the end of social distancing are divided. Various opinions are coming out as it is divided into pharmaceutical companies that maintain telecommuting and pharmaceutical companies that terminate. Pros and cons also followed group meetings such as company dinners and workshops. According to the pharmaceutical industry on the 21st, as social distancing has been completely lifted, pharmaceutical companies are also preparing to return to their daily lives. They would like to reduce or end telecommuting, and gradually promote suspended dinners and workshops. However, employees who have been satisfied with telecommuting and reduced company dinners for two years have recognized that commuting and company dinners are unnecessary hours. They look upset at the news that they can return to their old company culture. A, an employee of a multinational company, said, "I've had enough meetings and work from home, and my work efficiency has increased," adding, "Now I feel like commuting time is a waste. It's better to take care of one more task at that time," he said. B, an employee of a domestic company, said, "When there was a business hour limit, it ended at 9-10 o'clock even if we had a company dinner, but now there is no time limit, so the burden has increased. I'm already stressed out because I can have a company dinner until after midnight like before." C, an employee of a domestic company, also said, "There are already talks about having a company dinner in the department. During the COVID-19 period, I was able to enjoy a "life with dinner" while doing personal hobby activities, but I think it will be difficult to enjoy hobbies now, he confessed. Pharmaceutical salespeople, who had become a daily routine to go to work in the local area, are also worried that the number of office workers will increase. D, a sales employee at a domestic company, said, "As the number of office visits decreased due to COVID-19, the movement path was efficient, but the lifting of distance is likely to double the time to go to work again." There are some people who welcome going to work. This is because they felt limited in communication through telecommuting. E, an employee of a multinational company, said, "I moved during the COVID-19 period, but it took a while to identify employees in each department because I was working from home," adding, "It is not easy to communicate because there are still a lot of people out of touch. It seems that face-to-face communication is much more helpful in handling tasks with a lot of collaboration between departments," he said. F, an employee of a multinational company, said, "I have a hard time staying at home for a long time, so I feel lonely and depressed because I had to work from home when COVID-19 was serious, but now I have autonomy to go to work on purpose." In fact, the preference was also mixed in a survey conducted by commercial real estate data company Rsquare on career tech platform people and 2,625 office workers in their 20s and 50s or older last month. 37% of the respondents preferred the form of "going to work at the office and working in a designated seat," while half of them cited "the necessity and efficiency of face-to-face work" as the reason. Respondents in their 30s preferred "hybrid work," a mixture of commuting and telecommuting. The company's workshop, which had been suspended for a while, is also showing signs of reviving. There are opinions that a workshop is needed for unity and opinions that it is unnecessary. G, an employee of a domestic company, said, "In particular, after COVID-19, new employees do not know who belongs to which department because OJT (on the job training) is also online. In the past, collaboration was smooth through workshops and interdepartmental dinners, but since it was suspended for more than two years, we often had difficulty knowing each other, he said. "I hope there will be a chance to get together once in a while, even if not often." H, a domestic company employee, said, "I don't know if I really need to go to a group workshop. It is possible to communicate smoothly through tea meetings between collaborative departments, he said. "It has been suspended due to COVID-19, but if we make good use of small meetings such as company clubs, we will be able to produce better effects than workshops."
- Company
- Companies are struggling with the form of post-COVID-19 work
- by Apr 20, 2022 06:06am
- As social distancing measures are lifted in two years, changes are also detected in the pharmaceutical industry. However, telecommuting is unlikely to disappear immediately. As more and more conferences attempt online and offline hybridization this year, they are also cautious about overseas business trips. ◆ Maintaining voluntary work for multinational companies, domestic companies are gradually ending telecommuting Since the 18th, all social distancing regulations, including restrictions on the number of private gatherings and business hours, have been lifted. In two years and one month, it has completely shifted to the stage of daily recovery. Telecommuting began in the pharmaceutical industry from early 2020 when COVID-19 began to spread. At that time, only a small number of multinational pharmaceutical companies introduced an autonomous work system that combines home and work. As the spread of COVID-19 spread across the country, domestic companies, led by multinational pharmaceutical companies, also implemented telecommuting. In particular, due to the frequent access to clinics, the pharmaceutical industry began working from home faster than the government. At the end of the distancing measures, many pharmaceutical companies that maintained telecommuting are in the mood to watch the trend more and decide rather than establishing new guidelines immediately. They say that it is too early to be relieved as more than 100,000 COVID-19 confirmed cases are still occurring a day. Multinational pharmaceutical companies that widely utilize telecommuting plan to maintain their current form of autonomous work even after the end of COVID-19. Korean subsidiaries of many multinational pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Roche, MSD, and Viatris, replied, "The guidelines recommending telecommuting will continue." An official from Viatris Korea said, "Since Omicron mutation became the dominant species, we have been working 100% autonomous for the safety of our employees." "With the government's lifting of social distancing, we will flexibly adjust our telecommuting and commuting two or three times a week in consultation with our manager," he said. An official from Amgen Korea said, "There were no separate guidelines for lifting telecommuting, and executives and employees who need to go to work at the office will continue to go out voluntarily." ◆ International Conference Online and Offline Due to COVID-19, most conferences and conferences have been converted online over the past two years. This year, many academic societies are still taking the form of a hybrid that maintains online or combines online and offline. The JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, which is considered the world's largest pharmaceutical bio investment event, maintained its online format in January. This is because omicron mutations are showing signs of re-proliferation around the world. The AACR held this month was held in person for the first time in three years, but the ASCO, scheduled for June, will be online and offline at the same time. In addition, a number of conferences, including EULAR, ADI Conference, and EHA, will be held both online and offline. Pharmaceutical companies are considering overseas business trips more because there are many conferences that take the form of a hybrid. An official from a multinational pharmaceutical company said, "We are looking at the data to be announced at the ASCO this year, and local participation has not been confirmed. However, as the academic societies also seem to be recovering from their daily lives, we will consider business trips later." Another multinational pharmaceutical company official also said, "We have not decided on an overseas business trip yet," adding, "It is expected to start face-to-face with overseas meetings that are essential." There are still concerns about new variations," he explained.
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- Homegrown Rosuzet·K-CAB sell over ₩10 bil a month
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Apr 20, 2022 06:05am
- New drugs developed by Korean pharmaceutical companies are showing strength in the prescription market. Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s Rosuzet and HK Inno. N’s K-CAB has recorded over ₩10 billion in monthly sales and made a good start. According to the market research institution UBIST on the 19th, the hyperlipidemia treatment Lipitor recorded No.1 in Q1 making ₩48.8 billion in outpatient prescriptions in Q1 this year. This is a 1.8% decrease from the same period of the previous year, but still a solid lead over the runner-up. Lipitor is Pfizer Korea’s dyslipidemia treatment that contains atorvastatin that was introduced to the Korean market in 1999. Despite the fierce competition with the entry of around 100 generics after patent expiry, the original Lipitor has been boasting its strong influence over the prescription drug market. Viatris, which was launched through the merger of Pfizer’s off-patent drug division Upjohn and Mylan, has been in charge of its sales since November 2020. The homegrown drugs, Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s Rosuzet and HK Inno. N’s K-CAB continued its strong growth. Rosuzet recorded No.2 in sales among all outpatient prescriptions with ₩32.7 billion. Rosuzet is a combination drug for hyperlipidemia that was released at the end of 2015. Rosuzet has been experiencing rapid growth thanks to its market preoccupation effect and the popularity of the statin and ezetimibe combinations K-CAB’s prescription performance in Q1 had also expanded 23.3% from the previous year to record ₩30.1 billion. K-CAB, which was released in March 2019, is a new P-CAB class antiulcer drug. It had first created a sensation selling ₩30.9 billion in the first year of its release and has exceeded ₩100 billion in annual sales last year, only three years since its release. Unless something major comes up, sales of Rosuzet and K-CAB will again easily exceed ₩100 billion this year. Among homegrown drugs, Daewoong Bio’s Gliatamin, Chong Kun Dang’s Chong Kun Dang Gliatirin, and LG Chem’s Zemimet have made the ranks in outpatient prescriptions. Sales of the brain function enhancer that contains choline alphoscerate such as Gliatamin and Chong Kun Dang Gliatirin recorded ₩26.5 billion and ₩23.6 billion in prescriptions in Q1 this year. Despite the difficulties, the class is facing due to controversy over its efficacy, reimbursement reductions, and order for negotiations to redeem paid reimbursement expenses, the drugs have shown off their continued strength in the market. Sales of Gliatamin fell 0.4% YoY but continued to be popular in the market. Chong Kun Dang Gliatirin’s sales rose 10.5% YoY and showed high growth. Prescriptions of LG Chem’s antidiabetic combo drug Zemimet rose 7.0% YoY to record ₩23 billion and rank No.8 in outpatient prescriptions in Q1 this year. Zemimet is a combination of the new DPP-4 inhibitor class Zemiglo (gemigliptin) that was developed by LG Chem and metformin. The performance of Plavix among off-patent drugs by multinational pharmaceutical companies has also been noticeable. Sanofi-Aventis’s antithrombotic drug Plavix has sold 11.5% more than the previous year to record ₩28.9 billion in prescriptions, ranking at No.4. In Korea, Plavix is sold in partnership with Dongwha Pharm since 2017.
