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- 2025-12-25 08:27:05
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- Samsung Bioepis' biosimilar had ₩1.5 trillion
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Feb 22, 2022 05:54am
- Samsung Bioepis products sold overseasBiosimilar products developed by Samsung Bioepis generated 1.5 trillion won in sales overseas last year. It increased by more than 10% from the previous year, the largest ever. According to Samsung Bioepis on the 18th, five biosimilars recorded a total of $1.255.1 billion (about 1.5 trillion won) in overseas markets last year. It achieved maximum sales, up 11% from $1.125.8 billion in 2020. With Samsung Bioepis' marketing partner Biogen, it is a statistic that collects Organon's performance. Biogen sells three types of biosimilars in Europe: Enbrel, Remicade, and Humira for autoimmune diseases. Organon sells these three products in the rest of the country except Europe and Korea. In the United States, only Remicade biosimilar are sold. Organon is also in charge of overseas sales of two types of biosimilars, Herceptin and Avastin. Last year, sales of biosimilars sold by Biogen reached $831.1 million, up 4% from the previous year. Sales of organon rose 28% year-on-year to $424 million. Samsung Bioepis explained, "We achieved the largest annual product sales in overseas markets last year based on close marketing cooperation with partners and thorough supply chain management." Samsung Bioepis was approved for sale of biosimilar SB11 of Lucentis, an ophthalmic disease treatment, in Europe and the United States last year. SB11 will be sold by Biogen under the product name Byooviztm in the United States and Europe. Under the license agreement with Genentech, Samsung Bioepis can sell its products in the United States from June 2022 before Genentech's expiration of the relevant SPC (Additional Protection Certification, Supplementary Protection Certification). In other regions, it can be sold after Genentech's SPC expires. An official from Samsung Bioepis said, "Based on last year's results, we plan to work closely with our partners this year to expand product sales," adding, "We will further strengthen our position as a leading company in the global biosimilar industry by expanding our product portfolio to eye diseases."
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- Kymriah is expected to be able to register insurance benefit
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Feb 21, 2022 05:59am
- Kymriah, an ultra-high-priced one-shot treatment, is expected to be covered by insurance benefits as early as April. According to related industries, Novartis Korea's CAR-T new drug Kymriah officially began drug price negotiations with NHIS in the last week of the same month after passing the Drug Benefit Evaluation Committee of the HIRA on January 13. Considering that the drug price negotiation deadline is 60 days, the negotiations should be completed at the end of March. If so, the Health Insurance Policy Committee, the final decision body for drug benefits, is usually held at the beginning of each month, and if Kymriah's price negotiations are concluded in March, it will be possible to register them in April. Pharmaceutical price negotiations themselves may break down, and the possibility cannot be ruled out that discussions will not end within the negotiation deadline. Recently, more and more cases are extending the deadline for negotiations. Since Kymriah is ultra-high-priced, it is not expected that it will be smooth to find an agreement between the government and pharmaceutical companies. Kymriah's indications are ▲Diffuse Large-B-Cell Lympoma (DLBCL) adult patient treatment after two or more systemic treatments and ▲ post-transplantation recurrence or secondary recurrence in children and young adult patients under the age of 25 and subsequent B-Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). There is a difference in standards for Kymriah's two indications. B-ALL applies only to Expenditure Cap, but in the case of DLBLC, a performance-based type was added. This means that pharmaceutical companies share part of the drug price according to treatment performance for all DLBCL patients. The problem is that unlike conventional drugs that are mass-produced, the manufacturing cost is astronomically high due to the nature of Kymriah, which produces one batch of cells extracted from patients, and the cost burden of pharmaceutical companies increases in the event of a patient with an Expenditure Cap or higher. Novartis Korea's efforts are essential to the goal of conclusion of drug price negotiations, but it remains to be seen whether this will lead to achievement. About 200 DLBCL and B-ALL patients who have refused or recurred to existing treatment are in critical condition, with only six months of life expectancy due to no alternative treatment options or no standard treatment until Kymriah is approved. The median survival period of DLBCL patients who failed secondary treatment in Korea is around 4.73 months, and about 70% of patients who failed secondary treatment repeatedly perform rescue chemotherapy.
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- Development of Xolair biosimilars is in full swing
- by Ji Yong Jun Feb 21, 2022 05:58am
- Xolair (Novartis)Domestic and foreign bio companies have started to develop Xolair (Omalizumab) biosimilars which patents expire in two years. The development stage of Celltrion, a domestic company, is the fastest. According to Clinical Trials, a clinical registration site of the NIH on the 17th, six clinical trials of Xolair biosimilars are currently registered. Three companies, Celltrion, Theba in the UK, and CSPC in China, are conducting phase 3 clinical trials, while three are in phase 1 clinical trials, including Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical in China, Generium in Russia, and Syneos Health in the United States. Xolair is a treatment for allergic asthma and chronic urticaria. It was jointly developed by Genentech and Novartis, subsidiaries of Roche. Based on the two companies' earnings announcements, Xolair's sales last year amounted to 4.2 trillion won, up 10.5% from the previous year. Xolair will be challenged by biosimilars from 2024. Xolair patents expire in Europe in 2024 and in the United States in 2025, respectively. Celltrion is analyzed as the fastest place to develop Xolair biosimilars. Celltrion is conducting phase 3 clinical trials of the Xolair biosimilar CT-P39. The end of the clinical trial is expected to be January next year. Considering the period of the European licensing process, it is expected that biosimilars will be released in time for Xolair's patent expiration. Teva, a British pharmaceutical company, is closely chasing this. Teva is conducting phase 3 clinical trials of the Xolair biosimilar TEV-45779. However, the end of the clinical trial is expected to be June 2024, later than Celltrion. China's CSPC entered phase 3 clinical trials of the Xolair biosimilar SYN008 earlier than Teva, but it is still in the pre-patient recruitment stage. In addition, Generium's GNR-044 has ended phase 1 clinical trials, while Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical's HS632 and Synos' BP11 are undergoing phase 1 clinical trials. Due to the clinical progress of companies, Celltrion is likely to take over the first mover of Xolair biosimilars. First mover is considered a top priority when evaluating the competitiveness of biosimilars. This is because biosimilars generate profits by bringing the market share of the original market. Celltrion's biosimilars Remsima and Truxima, which were released as first movers, are prominent in the European market. According to Celltrion, as of the third quarter of last year, the European market share was 54% for Remsima and 34% for Truxima.
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- Vitrakvi's price negotiation has been extended
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Feb 18, 2022 05:55am
- According to related industries, both Roche's Rozlytrek (NTRK) anticancer drugs, Roche Korea's Rozlytrek and Bayer Korea's Vitrakvi, failed to conclude discussions with the NHIS (60 days) in January. The two drugs seeking the PE system passed the HIRA's Drug Benefit Evaluation Committee last year, but are in the final stage. If the extended negotiations are concluded as soon as possible, both drugs can be applied in March, but as they are the first drugs to be applied to multiple solid cancers only for certain genetic mutations, it remains to be seen whether the government and pharmaceutical companies can reach an agreement. Among adult and pediatric patients with NTRK gene fusion without acquisition-resistant mutations, Rozlytrek and Vitrakvi are highly likely to undergo severe morbidity during local progression, metastasis, or surgical resection, and can be used to treat solid cancer patients who have progressed after conventional therapy or do not have suitable treatments currently available. Meanwhile, Rozlytrek's approval was determined based on experimental data from phase 1/2 STARTRK-NG trials and phase 2 clinical trials in pediatric patients, STARTRK-1, and ALKA-372-001. In the STARTRK-2 study, Rozlytrek reduced tumors in more than half to 56.9% of patients with solid cancer (ORR) positive for NTRK fusion genes. Patients were conducted in 10 different solid cancer patients, and the duration of the reaction was observed to be 10.4 months. Vitrakvi's approval was based on a phase 1 test for adults aged 18 or older, a phase 2 NAVIGATE test for adults and children aged 12 or older, and a phase 1/2 SCOOT study for pediatric patients aged 1 month to 21 years old, including primary CNS tumors. According to the efficacy evaluation of a total of 55 people whose NTRK gene fusion was confirmed from three studies,Vitrakvi achieved an objective response rate (ORR) of 75% and 53% in various carcinomas (soft tissue sarcoma, infant fibroma, salivary gland cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, colon cancer, bile duct cancer, breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer).
- Company
- AstraZeneca wins second trial on ‘Forxiga substance patent'
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Feb 18, 2022 05:55am
- AstraZeneca, the original drug maker of the SGLT-2 inhibitor for the treatment of diabetes, ‘Forxiga,’ won the second trial over its substance patent. The ruling has abruptly put a hold on Dong-A ST’s plans for the early release of its Forxiga latecomer. The industry interpreted this as a crisis for the ‘pro-drug strategy’ that has been gaining attention as a breakthrough in overcoming the substance patent of originals. On the 17th, the Patent Court of Korea overturned the first instance court ruling and ruled in favor of AstraZeneca in its appeal against Dong-A ST to overrule the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board (IPTAB)’s decision. The IPTAB had previously ruled in favor of Dong-A ST. The Patent Court of Korea judged that the Forxiga prodrug (product name Dapaflo) falls within the scope of the patent of AstraZeneca's Forxiga’s active ingredient. The ruling has put a stop to Dong-A ST’s early release strategy. Dong-A ST had planned to release a Forxiga latecomer exclusively if it wins in the appeal. However, losing the second trial, Dong-A ST can now only release its latecomer drug after April 7th 2023, after Forxiga’s substance patent expires. The prodrug strategy that gained industry interest is also in peril. Dong-A ST was the first in Korea to attempt evasion of Forxiga’s substance patent using the prodrug strategy. The industry believed that this attempt may become a new breakthrough in overcoming the 'impenetrable' substance patents of original drugs. Pro-drug is a ‘pro’ drug that is considered a similar but different drug from the original drug. Its chemical structure is partially different in its substituents with the original drug until administration. However, once administered, the drug shows the same effect as the original drug. In principle, it may seem similar to salt-modified drugs, but the difference Is clear. Salt can be changed through simple ion bonding, and the chemical structure of the drug does not change. However, prodrugs change the substituents through a more difficult covalent binding method. It has a different chemical structure to the original drug. The key issue in the patent suit was whether a prodrug could be considered a completely new substance. The Patent Court of Korea had determined prodrug partially improved form an existing substance.
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- The industry is worried about the spread of Omikron
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Feb 18, 2022 05:55am
- The Omicron mutation COVID-19 virus is also hurting factories and research institutes of pharmaceutical bio companies. Concerns are growing over production disruptions as a series of confirmed cases have emerged in Hwaseong Hyangnam Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex and Cheongju Osong Life Science Complex, where pharmaceutical factories are concentrated. According to the pharmaceutical industry on the 15th, a series of COVID-19 confirmed cases have recently occurred in the Hyangnam Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex located in Hyangnam-eup, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. It is reported that the number of confirmed cases is increasing after the Lunar New Year holiday. Currently, 40 factories of 38 pharmaceutical companies are in operation in the Hyangnam complex. There are 3,500 workers working in the complex alone. Most of them commute from Suwon or Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do. The problem is the spread of COVID-19 in Suwon According to Gyeonggi-do, as of midnight on the 15th, there were 31,894 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Suwon. The number of new confirmed cases is 1,387. In the case of Mars, a total of 27,039 people, including 1,589 new confirmed cases. Analysts say that the Hyangnam Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex has also been affected by the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Suwon. The pharmaceutical industry is concerned that if the spread continues, drug production will be disrupted. Currently, most of the factories in the Hyangnam Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex are reported to take self-quarantine measures for a certain period of time for COVID-19 confirmed patients and all departments. In addition to the government's guidelines for self-quarantine of COVID-19 confirmed patients for a week, it is interpreted as a measure to prevent further spread of COVID-19. An official from the pharmaceutical industry working at the Hyangnam complex said, "Unlike the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, the entire factory will not be shut down," adding, "The number of confirmed cases has been increasing recently as the Omicron mutation spreads so rapidly. In particular, there seems to be a series of confirmed cases after the Lunar New Year holiday, he said. He said, "There are places where all employees of the department are quarantined for a week when a confirmed person comes out, and some places take measures not to go to work until the infection of fellow employees is confirmed," adding, "Since the factory cannot work from home, everyone seems to be nervous about whether there will be a confirmed person." The self-quarantine rules have also been greatly strengthened recently, he added. Another pharmaceutical industry official said, "As quarantine is carried out on a team or department basis, if at least one confirmed person comes out, the operation of the line will be disrupted," adding, "Even if workers from other lines return their vacations and are put in, production delays are inevitable." Concerns are also growing at the Osong Life Science Complex located in Osong-eup, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do. The Osong Life Science Complex currently houses more than 70 companies and research institutes related to medicines, medical devices, cosmetics, and food. About half of them are pharmaceutical bio companies. As of 8 a.m. on the 15th, 710 new COVID-19 confirmed patients were confirmed in Cheongju, Chungbuk, where Osong Complex belongs. Currently, 6,368 people have been confirmed and are in self-quarantine. The pharmaceutical industry predicts that the occurrence of confirmed cases in Osong Complex will also be a matter of time. An official from the pharmaceutical industry said, "The current spread is so fast that there is nothing strange about it even if a confirmed person comes out at any time," adding, "The problem is that it is difficult to find substitute manpower." If there are one or two confirmed cases, it will be okay, but if there are several confirmed cases, it is expected that the production schedule will be tight."
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- The development of next lung cancer txs is in full swing
- by Feb 17, 2022 05:53am
- From the left, Lumakras, Rybrevant & TabrectaStarting with EGFR, treatments have been released. The first dual inhibitor was also released. Non-small cell lung cancer treatment is facing a new turning point with the emergence of various targeted anticancer drugs. Precise treatment began by pioneering areas where there were no treatments, such as KRAS, MET, and EGFR Exon 20. ◆ New KRAS drug in 40 years, 8 global companies will develop For the first time in 40 years this year, a new drug targeting KRAS mutations has emerged. It is Amgen's Lumakras, approved by the MFDS on the 14th. Lumakras can be used as a secondary treatment for KRAS G12C mutation local progression or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer patients show various genetic mutations, and KRAS mutations account for the largest proportion of them. About 25% of the world represents KRAS mutations. In Korea, it is about 5 to 8%. Lumakras succeeded in entering the KRAS field for the first time. The KRAS tumor gene was discovered early in 1982, but it did not lead to the development of a treatment. This is because clinical trials have repeatedly failed due to the complex molecular biological activity mechanism of KRAS. The binding site was also very small, so the development of target materials was a challenge. Starting with Lumakras, KRAS target treatments are expected to appear one after another. This is because many global pharmaceutical companies have entered the development of KRAS-targeted anticancer drugs. Eight companies, including ▲Mirati Theraputics ▲ Novartis ▲ Roche ▲ Boehringer Ingelheim ▲ MSD ▲ Eli Lilly ▲ Sanofi ▲ InventisBio, are conducting KRAS clinical trials in Korea. Among them, Mirati is closely chasing Amgen as the most advanced step. Mirati's Adagrasib is undergoing phase 3 in Korea and is undergoing FDA approval review in the United States. The development of other pharmaceutical companies is in phase 1/2. ◆Dual inhibiton of EGFR and MET have also emerged Treatment of non-small cell lung cancer is facing a new turning point. For non-small cell lung cancer, targeted treatment began with the emergence of Iressa, the first EGFR target anticancer drug, and in 2017, immuno-cancer drugs entered and presented a new paradigm for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, which cannot be used. Recently, the area of anticancer drugs targeting non-small cell lung cancer has increased further. In addition to relatively common KRAS mutations, minority mutations found in less than 3% of all patients can be detected. Janssen's Rybrevant, which was approved by the MFDS on the 15th, shows a clear difference from the existing EGFR targeted anticancer drugs. It aimed at a blind spot called Exon 20 insertion mutation, not Exon 19 defect and L858R substitution mutation, which are common in EGFR. EGFR Exon20 insertion mutation non-small cell lung cancer is rarely found as the third most common mutation among EGFR mutations. Rybrevant is clearly different in that it targets not only EGFR but also MET variations. With the approval of Rybrevant, the EGFR target anticancer drug market is also expected to change. Already, in the EGFR area, third-generation drugs represented by Tagrisso and Leclaza through the first and second generations are becoming standard treatments. Although it remains in the second treatment due to clinical problems in Korea, global guidelines have already recommended the third generation Tagrisso as the top priority treatment. A new anticancer drug that directly targets MET gene mutations also appeared for the first time last year. It is Novartis' Tabrecta and Merck's Tepmeko. Both drugs, which were approved by the MFDS side by side in November last year, can be used in patients with local progressive or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer whose MET exon 14 deficiency was confirmed. MET mutation is also one of the genetic mutations caused by non-small cell lung cancer. The adverse reactions in the MET gene are largely divided into MET amplification and MET mutation, and the MET exon14 defect targeted by Tabrecta and Tepmeko is a representative MET mutation. Targeted anticancer drugs targeting RET genes are also expected to be released soon. Roche and Lilly are undergoing domestic approval procedures for their own Gavreto and Retevmo. These drugs can inhibit primary mutations in the RET gene as well as secondary mutations that cause anticancer treatment resistance. The incidence of RET mutations in non-small cell lung cancer is reported to be around 2%.
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- Seqirus “to supply next-gen influenza vaccine” in Korea
- by Feb 17, 2022 05:53am
- A new competitor has entered the influenza vaccine market. Seqirus, a subsidiary of the Australia-based biotech firm CSL, will be entering the Korean market in earnest in the COVID-19 pandemic. Seqirus Korea held an online press conference to celebrate the official launch of its Korean subsidiary on the 16th. At the conference, Seqirus threw its hat into the Korean flu vaccine market with its self-developed next-generation vaccine. At the conference, Gee-Seung Yoo, CEO of Seqirus Korea said, “Our global office is deeply interested in the significance and potential held by the Korean market. With our official launch, we hope to establish various partnerships in Korea.” Seqirus is a vaccine company parented by the Australia-based pharmaceutical company CSL. The company is known for its extensive influenza vaccine portfolio that covers a wide range of egg-based, cell culture-based, adjuvanted vaccines. Its vaccines, which are produced in 5 global vaccine manufacturing facilities, are supplied to over 20 countries including the UK, Australia, the US, and Canada. Seqirus planned its entrance into the Korean market due to COVID-19. As the Korean vaccine developer, SK Bioscience was unable to manufacture its influenza vaccines due to the manufacture of consigned COVID-19 vaccines. As egg-based flu vaccines cannot be used on patients with egg allergies, the Korean government had to urgently bring in Seqirus’ vaccine due to this temporary gap in cell culture-derived influenza vaccines that had been solely produced by SK Bioscience in Korea. Using the opportunity as momentum, Seqirus made the decision to start directly supplying its egg-based Afluria that had been marketed through Boryung Biopharma until then. Seqirus has extensive vaccine development experience that goes back over 100 years. It owns both egg-based and cell culture-derived flu vaccines and became the first company in the US to receive approval for an adjuvanted flu vaccine in 2020. With the launch of its subsidiary in Korea, Seqirus plans to introduce its cell culture-derived flu vaccine ‘Flucelvax’ and its adjuvanted flu vaccine ‘Fluad’ in Korea. The company is known to have high expectations for its adjuvanted flu vaccine. General flu vaccines can be less effective in immunocompromised elderly, or when the vaccine strain does not match with the one in circulation, or due to egg adaptations, etc. In such cases, adjuvanted flu vaccines can improve immune reactions and increase the prevention effect. Seqirus’s adjuvanted flu vaccine ‘MF59’ uses squalene that is produced in the liver. MF59 induces an immune response in the injection site and promotes antigen uptake to increase immune response by activating T cells and B cells. Jonathan Anderson, Medical Head of the International Region of Seqirus said, “The use of adjuvants triggers a broader and stronger antigen response and induces longer antigen response. If the MF59 that was first applied to a trivalent vaccine is applied to a quadrivalent vaccine, we will be able to achieve a strong antibody response even with a small amount.” In addition, Seqirus plans to develop various next-generation influenza vaccines including high-dose adjuvanted cell culture-derived vaccines and mRNA vaccines. Gee-Seung Yoo, CEO of Seqirus Korea said, “As Korea’s healthcare partner, Seqirus Korea will be at the forefront of the to protect public health from influenza viruses. We will work our best to promptly introduce and supply the company’s various vaccines in Korea.”
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- Roche's Polivy can be prescribed at Big 5 hospitals
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Feb 16, 2022 05:51am
- The new lymphoma drug Polivy can be prescribed at the Big 5 General Hospital. According to related industries, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, and Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) Polivy, which combines with existing BR therapy (Bendamustine & Rituximab) for treatment of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lympoma (DLBCL) with a poor prognosis. In the case of Severance, the code was generated with emergency DC. However, Polivy is still a non-reimbursed drug. Roche submitted an application for registration of Polivy's insurance benefits in February last year, but failed to pass the HIRA Cancer Disease Review Committee in April of the same year. Roche plans to continue his efforts to register Polivy in the future. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma belongs to aggressive lymphoma that requires immediate treatment due to the rapid progression of the disease. More than half of patients have a good treatment response rate to reach remission, but 30% to 40% of patients do not respond to the standard therapy R-CHOP or experience recurrence even after primary treatment. Although most patients experience recurrence within two years and have a only six-month survival period if they recur, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma has been an area that lacks effective treatment options. Polivy is the first ADC drug to target CD79b and has a mechanism that binds to CD79b expressed in B cells to induce apoptosis. Polivy confirmed its effectiveness through a phase 1b/2 that confirmed the clinical effectiveness and safety of Polivy combination therapy in 80 patients with recurrent or refractory giant B cell lymphoma who could not receive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and had more than one treatment experience. The drug was also designated as a rare drug in Korea in October last year. As a result of the study, the Polivy combination therapy group showed higher Complete Response (CR) and Overall Survival (OS) extensions than the BR group. Ko Young-il, a professor of hematologic oncology at Seoul National University Hospital, said, "Polivy confirmed its usefulness through clinical trials and is a treatment option recommended in international guidelines, which is meaningful in that it has suggested a new alternative to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treatment." Peter Welford, an analyst at investment bank Jefferies, analyzed in a memo to investors that if Polivy is used for DLBCL indications, it could achieve sales ranging from at least $2.1 billion to up to $2.4 billion.
- Company
- GC Pharma & SK Bioscience are competing
- by Ji Yong Jun Feb 16, 2022 05:51am
- From the left, GC Pharma Barycela and SK BioscienceGC Pharma's Barycela challenges the international procurement market. Competition among domestic companies in the international procurement market for chickenpox virus vaccines is likely to begin in earnest. SK Bioscience seems to be challenging first while undergoing the World Health Organization (WHO) certification process for overseas sales of GC Pharma's new chickenpox vaccine. According to the industry on the 15th, SK Bioscience made its debut in the international procurement market for chickenpox vaccines on the 14th. SK Bioscience received a preliminary notice from PAHO about $31.27 million worth of chickenpox vaccine orders. SK Bioscience will supply Sky Varicella, a chickenpox vaccine, to the Latin American market from 2022 to 2024. PAHO, along with UNICEF, is the largest vaccine consumer. SK Bioscience plans to introduce Sky Varicella to various international procurement markets in the future as it passes the PAHO bid. Sky Varicella was released in 2018. In multinational global clinical trials, including Latin America, immunity and effectiveness in children aged 12 months to 12 years have been confirmed. The chickenpox vaccine from global pharmaceutical companies was used as a control group to prove the level of safety equivalent to that of excellent antibodies. As a result, SK Bioscience and GC Pharma competed in the chickenpox vaccine international procurement market. GC Pharma has dominated the international procurement market with Suduvax. Suduvax is the first vaccine developed by GC Pharma in 1993 in Korea and the second in the world. Suduvax, which has won bids in the international procurement market, has served as GC Pharma's cash cow. From 2017 to 2018, it won about $60 million worth of orders from PAHO, ranking first in the procurement market. Chickenpox vaccines generate more sales in overseas markets than in Korea. As a result, domestic companies actively utilize the international procurement market to advance the vaccine into the global market. According to Allied Market Research, a global market research firm, the global chickenpox vaccine market is expected to grow 5.6 percent annually from $2.714 billion in 2018, forming a scale of $4.22 billion by 2026. GC Pharma will also challenge the international procurement market within this year through Barycela. Barycela was approved by the MFDS in March 2020 and was released in Korea in September last year. Like Suduvax, Barycela is a live vaccine and it has improved quality and productivity, greatly increasing yields. GC Pharma's Barycela is currently undergoing WHO PQ certification process. PQ certification is essential to participate in bidding for the international procurement market. The industry predicts that Barycela will acquire PQ certification and participate in the international procurement market in the first half of this year.
