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- 2026-05-11 10:50:34
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- Sorrento Theraputics Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection
- by Hwang, Jin-joon Feb 16, 2023 05:51am
- Sorrento Theraputics Inc. researchers are studying candidate materialsSorrento Theraputics Inc., a U.S. bio company invested by Yuhan Corporation, filed for bankruptcy protection in the Southern Texas Bankruptcy Court. Bankruptcy protection is a system similar to Korean court receivership. Sorrento Theraputics Inc. recently lost a damage suit worth 222 billion won, resulting in a short-term cash liquidity crisis. Its subsidiary Sciplex plans to continue its business regardless of Sorrento Theraputics Inc.'s bankruptcy protection procedures. According to industries on the 14th, Sorrento Theraputics Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection with the bankruptcy court in accordance with Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Act the previous day. Sorrento Theraputics Inc. is a new antibody drug development bio company listed on the Nasdaq. In 2016, 12.1 billion won was invested by Yuhan Corporation in the name of simple investment. Yuhan Corporation's stake in Sorrento is 0.6%. Through a joint venture, the two companies also established ImmuneOncia, a bio company specializing in developing new drugs specializing in immuno-cancer drugs. Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Act, which Sorrento filed with the Bankruptcy Court, is a system that seeks corporate rehabilitation by conducting restructuring procedures under the supervision of the Bankruptcy Court. It can be seen as similar to domestic court management. Unlike liquidation, which closes its business after clearing assets and liabilities, bankruptcy protection is a way to revive companies through government support and debt restructuring while carrying out projects such as R&D and investment attraction. Earlier, United Airlines, General Motors, and Chrysler revived through Chapter 11. The bankruptcy court accepts the Chapter 11 application if it deems it more economically profitable to normalize a company by means of cancellation or suspension of repayment of some or all of its liabilities. However, if the bankruptcy court determines that the rehabilitation plan is inappropriate, it may proceed with liquidation in accordance with Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Act. Sorrento filed for bankruptcy protection due to a short-term cash liquidity crisis. Sorrento explained that as of the date of filing for bankruptcy protection, it has more than 1.2685 trillion won in assets, including 158.6 billion won in damages against NantPharma and others, regarding the dispute over the right to sell the anticancer drug Cynviloq. During the same period, the debt was 298.1 billion won. The cash liquidity crisis occurred when Sorrento filed a lawsuit with Nant Pharma and others. NantPharma introduced the North American copyrights and pipelines of the anti-cancer drug Sinbilock, which was introduced by Samyang Holdings in 2015, with an advance of 114.2 billion won. The maximum contract amount, including technical fees according to the development stage, is 1.6491 trillion won. NantPharma has not released Sinviloc in the North American market. Sorrento filed a lawsuit, claiming that Patrick Sunxion, chairman of Abraxis Bioscience, who had a relationship with NantPharma for not releasing Sinviloc, introduced competitive drugs to protect the market status of Abraxane, an anticancer drug, in the early stages of its launch. The court recently ruled that Sorrento should compensate NantPharma subsidiary Nantcell for 222 billion won worth of damage. Of the total, 158.6 billion won was suspended for 70 days, but 63.4 billion won was decided to be immediately enforceable. If not implemented, the interest rate is 9%. After the results of the lawsuit were announced, Sorrento's stock price fell 72% from $0.94 the previous day to $0.26. Sorrento explained that it submitted an application for bankruptcy protection to protect the company, judging that the business operation and development of new drugs could be suspended due to the cash liquidity crisis following the result of the damage suit. As of the third quarter of last year, Sorrento's cashable assets are worth 88.8 billion won. Sorrento Theraputics Inc. also stressed that it will continue to develop new drugs in connection with the bankruptcy protection filing.
- Company
- Exports of Dong-A ST’s anemia biosimilar exceed KRW 10 bil
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Feb 16, 2023 05:51am
- The first biosimilar developed by Dong-A ST has made over KRW 10 billion in exports for 2 consecutive years. The cumulative export sales amount of the drug reached KRW 35.6 billion only 3 years after the drug entered the Japanese market. According to Dong-A ST on the 1st, the overseas sales of ‘Darbepoetin-α’ last year recorded KRW 13.3 billion, a 6.4% increase from KRW 12.5 billion in 2021. Darbepoetin-α is a biosimilar of the second-generation anemia treatment ‘Nesp (darbepoetin-α)’ that was co-developed by Amgen and Kyowa Kirin. The erythropoietin (EPO) in the drug accelerates red blood cell production by stimulating the erythroblasts and is used to treat chronic kidney disease or anemia in patients who receive chemotherapy. Annual exports of Darbepoetin-α (Unit: KRW 100 million, Data: Dong-A ST The overseas sales of ‘Darbepoetin-α’ solely depend on the drug’s exports to Japan. After conducting the Phase 1 clinical trial on’ Darbepoetin-α,’ Dong-A ST signed a licensing-out agreement on the development and sale of its drug to Sanwa Kagaku Kenkyusho (SKK). Based on a Phase III trial conducted in Japan to compare the efficacy and safety of ‘Darbepoetin-α’ to the original ‘Nesp,’ SKK received marketing approval from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare the drug in September 2019, and launched the drug for sale in November of the same year. Since then, Dong-A ST has been exporting the finished product to SKK, which was produced by STGen Bio, a biosimilar company under Dong-A Socio Group, with SKK responsible for its local sales. After generating KRW 1 billion in exports in Q4 2019, the drug sold KRW 8.8 billion and KRW 12.5 billions' worth each in exports in 2020 and last year, respectively. In Q4 last year, exports amounted to KRW 35.6 billion. By last year, the cumulative exports of Darbepoetin-α were found to be 35.6 billion won. The rise in sales is analyzed to be connected to the increase in reliability based on accumulated use experience in the field. Following Japan, Darbepoetin-α is now set to be introduced to the Turkish market. Dong-A ST singed signed a licensing and supply deal with the Turkish pharmaceutical company Polifarma in November last year, Under the agreement, Dong-A ST will transfer the exclusive development and marketing rights to Darbepoetin-α in Turkey, Brazil, and Mexico to Polifarma. Under the deal, Dong-A ST will receive an upfront payment and milestone payments for each stage of development and commercialization while being in charge of the exclusive supply of finished products. Polifarma is a Turkish pharmaceutical company that owns a global sales network in over 50 countries. The company has experience exporting more than 500 drugs to the United States, Europe, Brazil, and Mexico, among other countries, and accumulated relevant approval experience.
- Policy
- Rebamipide eye drops will be reimb next month
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Feb 16, 2023 05:51am
- Mucosta ophathalmic solution (Rebamipide) being currently sold in Japan Whether the reimbursement of Samil Pharmaceutical and Kukje Pharma’s rebamipide eye drop solutions that were developed as a treatment for dry eye will reorganize the artificial tears market is gaining attention. In particular, with reimbursement reevaluations set to be conducted for hyaluronic acid eye drops that occupy the largest share of the artificial tears market this year, the possibility of changes made in the market share and rank has also been raised. On the 15th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare issued an administrative notice of an amendment to newly establish a reimbursement standard for Rebamifide 0.1/5ml. The drugs subject to the amendment are Samil Phamraceutical’s ‘Reva-K Eye Drops’ and Kukje Pharma’s ‘Reba-eye Eye Drops 2%.’ The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service decided to approve the drugs for reimbursement within its approved indication, for the ‘improvement of corneal and conjunctival epithelial damage in adult patients with dry eye syndrome.’ However, its combined administration with mucin secretagogue (diquafosol sodium) will not be allowed reimbursement. The reimbursement will be add a rebamipide option to the dry eye treatment market. Rebamipide eye drops have already been released in Japan in 2012 by Otsuka Pharmaceutical as 'Mucosta ophthalmic suspension UD 2%', but Samil and Kukje’s products are the first to be introduced to Korea. Rebamipide is known to stabilize the tear film by increasing ocular mucin secretion and contribute to the improvement of corneal and conjunctival epithelial damage to improve dry eye symptoms. Samil and Kukje demonstrated the drug's improved outcomes through a clinical trial. In a clinical trial that was conducted on a total of 220 patients with dry eye symptoms (74 patients in the 2% Rebamipide ophthalmic suspension arm, 74 patients in the placebo arm), patients were administered the drug or placebo in each eye four times (every 4 hours). At week 12, outcomes in the 2% Rebamipide ophthalmic suspension arm were superior to the placebo arm. With the drug demonstrating an effect in improving dry eye syndrome when administered just 4 times a day, Rebamipide has been evaluated to have an improved convenience compared to existing artificial tear products that require administration 5-6 times per day. Reimbursed eye drop options currently in use for dry eye include hyaluronic acid, diquafosol sodium, and cyclosporine. Among the options, hyaluronic acid boasts the largest share in the market, which is estimated to bring in an annual sales of KRW 230 billion. These hyaluronic acid eye drops will be receiving reevaluation on their adequacy of reimbursement this year. According to HIRA, as of January 2022, reimbursement is being applied to 427 items from 51 companies, and the average annual claims amount of the drugs for the past three years was estimated to be around KRW 231.5 billion. Controversy over the reimbursement adequacy of hyaluronic acid eye drops, which were reimbursed since 1997, has been raised for some time. In 2000, the National Evidence-based healthcare Collaborating Agency (NECA) argued for the need to improve the reimbursement standards for dry eye, saying that it was too early to conclude that hyaluronic acid ophthalmic solutions are clinically significantly different from other treatment alternatives. Hyaluronic acid eye drops are currently used both for specialized and general drugs in Korea, however, most are used with a doctor's prescription, putting pressure on Korea’s national insurance finances. On the other hand reimbursement for hyaluronic acid is not applied in major developed countries and is only reimbursed in Japan. If the reevaluation concludes that hyaluronic acid eye drops are not eligible for reimbursement, the artificial tears market will inevitably be reorganized. The analysis is that the existing diquafosol sodium and cyclosporine products will reap reflective benefit, and the rebamipide eye drops that are reimbursed this time may also serve as an alternative. Recently, Daewoo Pharm is also known to be preparing a same-ingredient drug with Samil Pharmaceutical and Kukje Pharma for approval. An industry official said, “Rebamipide eye drops that will be reimbursed this time, developed by Samil and Kukje, have improved marketability. It offers an improvement in the irritability experienced using the original Japanese product. Therefore, I believe the products will settle as new options in the dry eye syndrome treatment market upon release.
- Company
- Will Piqray benefit be successful again?
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Feb 16, 2023 05:50am
- Attention is focusing on whether Piqray, a PIK3CA gene target anticancer drug, can succeed in re-challenge insurance benefits. According to related industries, Novartis Korea's breast cancer treatment Piqray is expected to be presented to the HIRA Cancer Disease Review Committee in March. The drug failed to pass the deliberation committee once in February last year and submitted a re-application at the end of last year. Piqray, approved in Korea in May 2021, is a "PIK3CA억제 inhibitor" that blocks excessive activation of PI3K-의 due to PIK3CA gene mutation and is a target anticancer drug prescribed in combination with Faslodex in patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic and progressive breast cancer who have previously failed treatment. Piqray proved its effectiveness through a SOLAR-1 study conducted in 572 menopausal women and patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer who were given or received HR-positive, HER2 negative, aromatase inhibitor, or AI. Clinical results showed that when Faslodex and Piqray were used together in tumor patients with PIK3CA mutations, the median progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with PIK3 tumors improved from 5.7 months to 11 months. The objective response rate (ORR), which represents the proportion of patients whose tumor size decreased by at least 30%, was 35.7% in the combination therapy group, more than twice as different as 16.2% in the single therapy group. The secondary evaluation variable, Overall Survival in patients with PIK3CA mutation, was 39.3 months in the combination therapy group, which was about 8 months longer than 31.4 months in the monotherapy group, but was not statistically significant.
- Company
- Astellas Korea appoints Junil Kim as new head
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Feb 15, 2023 05:59am
- Astellas Pharma Korea will now be run by a Korean head. According to industry sources, Junil Kim (50) was appointed to succeed Marker Weber and head the Korean subsidiary of Astellas Pharma. With the appointment, Astellas Korea will be welcoming the first Korean head in 7 years since the resignation of Jung Hae-doh in 2017. After Jung, Astellas Korea maintained a foreign representative system, appointing Takenoya Osamu, Masujima Keita, then Marcus Weber as General Manager of the Korean subsidiary. Junil Kim is a seasoned veteran in the field. After graduating from Chung-Ang University School of Pharmacy, Kim entered the industry as a medical representative for GSK Korea, then held various roles at Bayer Singapore Asia Pacific headquarters, Bayer Korea, Bayer headquarters in Germany, and served as General Manager at Bayer Philippines. Astella Korea's former GM, Marker Weber, was appointed GM of the Korean subsidiary in April 2020. Weber was appointed to head the company's German subsidiary in 2023.
- Company
- Dementia with Lewy bodies rises as a new blue ocean
- by Feb 15, 2023 05:58am
- Byoung-Suk Ye, Professor of Neurology at Severance Hospital is presenting the latest findings in dementia (Pic: Dailypharm reporter Jin-Joong Hwang Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), the second most common type of neurodegenerative disease, is expected to rise as a blue ocean in the development of diagnostics and treatments for dementia. DLB has the limitation of being difficult to diagnose in the field as no clear diagnostic method has been developed for the disease. In the industry, the prevailing opinion is that Lewy bodies should also be considered in addition to Alzheimer's to develop more effective drugs for dementia. ◆No method available to diagnose Lewy bodies...additional studies needed According to industry sources on the 14th, Byoung-Suk Ye, Professor of Neurology at Severance Hospital, said, “Alzheimer’s is characterized by memory loss and is the most common cause of dementia, but it is not dementia itself. DLB is the second most common cause of dementia that often accompanies Alzheimer’s, but is rarely diagnosed clinically in the field" while presenting at the Seoul Innovative Medicine Salon that was held at Korea Development Bank the day before. Lewy bodies are pathologically defined by the cytoplasmic accumulation of alpha-synuclein deposited inside the patient's cerebral cortical neurons. The dementia symptoms are considered to occur when the cytoplasmic accumulation of alpha-synuclein (aSyn) deposition creates Lewy bodies. Alzheimer’s dementia, a representative neurodegenerative disease, and symptoms of dementia are known to be caused by beta-amyloid aggregation or hyperphosphorylated tau proteins. DLB and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) share pathological causes. In Parkinson's disease, a decline in motor function appears first, and dementia symptoms usually occur after a period of 1 to 2 years. However, in DLB, a decline in cognitive function occurs first or a decline in motor function and cognitive function at the same time. Characteristic symptoms of Alzheimer’s (left) and Lewy Body disease (Pic: Dailypharm reporter Jin-Joong Hwang) Major symptoms of DLB include a decline in cognitive function, visual disorder, REM (rapid eye movement sleep) behavior disorder, autonomic nervous system abnormalities, hypersomnia, loss of smell, hallucinations, and depression. Cognitive decline is more prominently shown in a loss in concentration, executive ability, and visuospatial function than in memory. Also, another characteristic is the unstable decline and improvement in cognitive function. On the other hand, in Alzheimer's dementia, memory relatively steadily declines. As of now, no clear method exists for its diagnosis. In the field, it is believed that Lewy bodies may be diagnosed using fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET). However, there is no study that quantitatively proves that Lewy bodies can be diagnosed with PDG-PET. With no proven diagnostic method available, there are limitations to distinguishing and diagnosing Lewy bodies in the clinical field. On the other hand, as Alzheimer's is known to be caused by the deposition of beta-amyloid, it can be identified relatively easily using amyloid-PET. Professor Ye said, “According to autopsy studies, 40% of patients with Alzheimer's disease also showed the pathological presence of Lewy body. Unless DLB is included in the diagnostic model, there is possibility that all dementias will be considered as Alzheimer's." Also, no diagnostic method yet exists to differentiate Lewy bodies from Alzheimer's in amyloid-positive patients. Professor Ye said, “When diagnosing dementia using only amyloid-PET, it is highly likely that many of the patients may have amyloid-positive and tau-negative Lewy bodies.” ◆Should consider patients with mixed dementia that may have a combined Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, or Lewy body disease when developing a drug for dementia The reason why it is necessary to distinguish not only Alzheimer's or Parkinson's when diagnosing dementia-causing diseases, but also Lewy body disease, is that there are many cases where a mix of the three diseases appear. Even if a new drug that reduces beta amyloid proteins or tau proteins is developed, if alpha-synuclein, the cause of Lewy body disease remains accumulated in the brain, it is highly likely that the new drug’s treatment effect will not appear. In addition to diagnostics for Lewy body disease, a diagnostic method is also needed to distinguish mixed Alzheimer's, where a patient suffers from Alzheimer's and Lewy body disease at the same time. Professor Ye emphasized, “Patients with just Alzheimer's disease and patients with mixed Alzheimer's have different natural courses and responses to drugs. These patients need to be distinguished to accurately determine the effect of dementia treatments. Professor Ye added, "It is important to secure real-world data (RWD) by using approved Alzheimer's treatments in clinical practice. I have been explaining the importance of distinguishing Lewy bodies from other causes of dementia to large multinational pharmaceutical companies, however, the need has not been delivered well because the people in charge are not practicing on-site. However, interest has been increasing recently after scholars and experts in dementia treatment overseas began to emphasize the need to distinguish Lewy body disease.
- Company
- GSK immuno-cancer drug Jemperli begins free supply in Korea
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Feb 14, 2023 05:49am
- GSK has launched a free supply program for the immuno-cancer drug Jemperli. According to related industries, GSK Korea is currently conducting Expanded Access Program (EAP) at 15 major medical institutions. Unlike the same type of immuno-cancer drug, Jemperli, a PD-1 inhibitor, plans to provide a first prescription opportunity to patients who need it as it was first approved for dMMR and MSI-H endometrial cancer, which is undergoing treatment or post-treatment with platinum-based systemic chemotherapy. Endometrial cancer is cancer that occurs in the endometrium which constitutes the inner wall of the uterine body and accounts for most uterine body cancer. Approximately one in four endometrial cancer patients is progressive or experiences recurrence, and there is a limit to the limited treatment available when the disease recurs after platinum-based chemotherapy. Jemperli's permission was based on cohort A1 analysis results registered with recurrent or progressive dMMR/MSI-H endometrial cancer patients during or after platinum-based systemic chemotherapy during a multi-cohort phase 1 clinical GARNET study in patients with recurrent or progressive solid cancer. In particular, the cohort is the largest among PD-1 inhibitor-only therapy studies conducted so far for dMMR/MSI-H endometrial cancer patients. The primary evaluation variables of the study were the objective response rate (ORR) evaluated by Blind Independent Central Review (BICR) using the solid cancer response evaluation criterion Response Evaluation Criteria Solid Tumors (RECIST) and the duration of the reaction. An analysis of a total of 108 patients based on 16.3 months of median follow-up period found that Jemperli exhibited continuous anti-tumor activity and manageable safety profiles. The objective response rate according to treatment was 43.5% (95% CI, 34.0-53.4), and the duration of the reaction has not yet reached the median. The Disease Control Rate (DCR) was found to be 55.6% (95% CI, 45.7-65.1), with 97.9% and 90.9% of treatment responses lasting for 6 months and 12 months, respectively. Kim Jae-won, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Seoul National University Hospital (Chairman of the Korean Women's Oncology Association), said, "Most endometrial cancers are diagnosed early and have a relatively good prognosis, but there is a limit to the treatment that can be used when they recur after platinum-based chemotherapy." In addition, he explained, "Tumors with dMMR/MSI-H have a good response to PD-1 inhibitor treatment, and with the permission of Gemperry, which has a significant treatment effect, safety profile, and treatment convenience, new possibilities have been suggested for secondary treatment of recurrent or progressive dMMR/MSI-H endometrial cancer in Korea."
- Policy
- Paxlovid's expiration date has been extended
- by Lee, Hye-Kyung Feb 14, 2023 05:48am
- While the expiration date of Pfizer's COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid has been changed from 12 months to 18 months, experts said that a six-month extension is reasonable for the volume purchased after approval. According to the minutes of the Central Pharmaceutical Review Committee recently released by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, there was a feasibility consultation on the extension of the validity of Paxlovid, and all members agreed to increase the validity of medical field distribution. At the meeting, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explained that 1.7 million COVID-19 treatments were introduced as of the end of October last year, leaving 500,000 people in stock, of which Paxlovid accounts for 400,000 to 450,000. Based on the stability test data in December 2021, Paxlovid has been recognized for 18 months as a previous submission data in August last year after initial approval with a validity period of 12 months. However, if the expiration date of the emergency use approved product is extended, the product imported before the change approval is not retroactively applied, so Celltrion submitted additional data on the amount that was suitable for up to 12 months at the time of Paxlovid import. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, "The amount purchased after the approval of the change has an expiration date of 18 months, but the previous purchase is applied to 12 months, so we need a six-month extension," adding, "As of the end of October last year, 380,000 people need to be extended." Currently, about 4,000 pharmacies and medical institutions are storing Paxlovid in a packaged state by tablet, and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has conducted a full document survey and on-site inspection of pharmacies to see if it is properly stored and managed. When asked by the committee whether it is possible to purchase a new product with an 18-month validity period instead of extending the validity period of Paxlovid, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, "It is important to prevent budget waste with expensive drugs. If there is no safety problem, we will reduce disposal." The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, "If a re-test is necessary to extend the validity period, we will proceed with the test as much as possible," adding, "However, there is a concern that the test will take a lot of time and cannot be extended." In response, a member of the committee said, "The key is what data to replace the appropriateness of the storage of on-site supplies," and stressed, "There should be sufficient explanation for the public afterward." The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, "If it is extended, we will check the storage condition again, and if the storage is appropriate, we will label the expiration date and check whether it is working." The Commission agreed that the validity period of medical field distribution can be extended by applying the requirements for detailed submissions under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act to extend the validity period of crisis-responsive medical products.
- Company
- SK Plasma is exclusively selling Dacogen in Korea
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Feb 14, 2023 05:48am
- Chaeri Hwang, CEO of Janssen Korea (left), and Kim Seung-joo, CEO of SK PlasmaSK Plasma announced on the 13th that it has signed an exclusive domestic sales contract with Janssen Korea for the treatment of myeloid dysplasia syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia. Under the agreement, SK Plasma will be in charge of the domestic distribution and marketing of Dakogen, while Janssen Korea will be in charge of producing and supplying products. Dacogen is an intravenous anticancer drug essential for myeloid dysplasia syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia. Myeloid dysplasia syndrome is one of the blood cancers that occur in the bone marrow and is a disease characterized by abnormal blood cell formation in the bone marrow and reduction of normal white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets in the peripheral blood. Acute myeloid leukemia is a type of leukemia in which a large number of myeloid hair cells, immature white blood cells, appear in the bone marrow and blood. In 2008, a new standard was applied to myeloid dysplasia syndrome, and the recognition standard was expanded for patients with acute myeloid leukemia twice in 2013 and 2023. Kim Seung-joo, CEO of SK Plasma, said, "This agreement has further strengthened our portfolio as a pharmaceutical company specializing in rare and intractable diseases," adding, "We will continue to strengthen our products related to rare and intractable diseases to help treat and improve the quality of life in Korea." SK Plasma is an independent corporation in charge of SK's blood products business. It was established as a 100% subsidiary of SK Chemicals through a physical division in May 2015. At the end of 2017, it was changed to a subsidiary of SK Discovery due to the transition of SK Chemicals' holding company system.
- Company
- The Paradox of Shingrix
- by Moon, sung-ho Feb 14, 2023 05:48am
- Domestic companies such as GC Pharma are in trouble. Shingrix Expected to Change the Domestic Shingles Vaccine Market With Expensive Premium Vaccine. Analysts say that two months after its launch in Korea, it is rarely showing its strength in the hospital and clinic markets. In particular, at the clinical site, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) seems to be in confusion as some say that its competitors are benefiting from its marketing policy to raise awareness of shingles with the launch of Shingrix. According to the pharmaceutical industry and the medical community on the 11th, GSK's Shingrix vaccine was released in December last year and is currently available in hospitals and clinics. Shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults over the age of 50 and immunocompromised people over the age of 18. In particular, given that the prevention rate is more than 90% in all age groups over the age of 50, the prevention rate was dominant and the release of Shingrix would shake the domestic shingles vaccine market. Perhaps that's why competition among domestic companies over copyrights for Shingrix sales and marketing was fierce. As a result, the main character who won the copyright through fierce competition is "GC Pharma," which is called a vaccine master, and "Gwangdong Pharmaceutical," which maintains a continuous cooperative relationship with GSK. In the case of GC Pharma, the most vaccinated internal medicine is focused on sales and marketing, while Guangdong Pharmaceutical is focusing on otolaryngology, orthopedics, and rehabilitation medicine. Two months after Shingrix's launch in the hospital and clinic markets, the prevailing opinion is that there are not many patients who want to be vaccinated at the clinical site. It is evaluated that the relatively "high price" of Singrix served as a hurdle. According to the Medical Times report, the single inoculation price of Singrix in hospitals and clinics is between 250,000 won and 300,000 won. Considering that it is two inoculations, the inoculation price is distributed between 500,000 won and 600,000 won. Moon Yeon-hee, executive director of GSK's vaccine business division, explained at the launch meeting, "The price of Shingrix was set by comprehensively considering its efficacy and socio-economic effects on complications after shingles." The clinical site suggested that such a price setting was not suitable in the recent economic crisis caused by three high-interest rates, high prices, and high exchange rates. "As soon as Shingrix was released, we brought 20 to the clinic, but there are no inoculators yet," said a Seoul physician who asked not to be identified. "We offered 500,000 won for two inoculations, but patients want 300,000 won, which is impossible for clinics." Kwak Kyung-geun, vice president of the Korean Internal Medicine Association (Seoul Internal Medicine), said, "Patients are interested in it, but there is too much resistance to the price. Moreover, it is difficult for patients to actively explain the vaccine effect to patients because they understand that the benefits of vaccination are entirely taken by clinics." He said, "In Gangnam, etc., Shingrix can be inoculated, but this is not large considering the total consumer population," adding, "The company should reflect the level of medical services and the economic level, but I think the company has taken too far." Park Geun-tae, chairman of the Korean Internal Medicine Association (Park Geun-tae Internal Medicine Clinic), also said, "I think patients are reluctant to take Shingrix because it is too expensive," adding, "Moreover, the burden of getting it twice compared to other competing vaccines is also working." Both clinical sites and pharmaceutical industries are paying attention to GSK's recent activities to raise awareness of shingles such as TV advertisements. It is a shingles campaign advertisement with no product name or company name on the front of the advertisement featuring actor Ma Dong-seok. The Pharmaceutical Affairs Act is also related, but unlike advertisements by existing pharmaceutical companies, the main focus is to inform patients of the risk of shingles by focusing on diseases. This, was expected to raise public awareness of the need for shingles management. GSK official said, "Shingles is a disease that occurs a lot in the age of 50 or older in Korea," and stressed, "This advertisement is designed to provide accurate information and raise awareness of shingles disease." TV advertisements to raise awareness of shingles are working, but they pointed out that they are not leading to Singrix vaccination. This is due to the high inoculation price of 500,000 won to 600,000 won. Kwak Kyung-geun, vice president of the Medical Association, said, "TV advertisements have increased the number of patients inquiring about shingles vaccine," adding, "We compare and explain the antibody production rate for each shingles vaccine, but in terms of price, Shingrix tends to be burdened." "There are patients who are hepatically vaccinated with Zostavax or Sky Zoster while inquiring about shingles vaccine through TV advertisements," he said. As a result, some in the pharmaceutical industry say that competitors MSD or SK Bioscience are actually taking advantage of the shingles advertisement. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the average inoculation prices of MSD Zostavax and SK Bioscience Sky Zoster are distributed from 140,000 won to up to 190,000 won in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Among them, Zostavax price is 10,000 to 20,000 won more expensive on average than Sky Zoster, but the price alone is more than 300,000 won cheaper than Shingrix. As a result, it is suggested that it is establishing itself in the market as a vaccine with "cost-effectiveness." A doctor-turned-domestic executive, who asked not to be identified, said, "One man windows and another man reps have raised awareness of shingles due to advertising effects, but competitors seem to be working. He hinted that sales and marketing will not be easy because it is difficult to release vaccine supplies to distributors in a situation where the margin rate is not large. This is a difficult part for GC Pharma and Kwangdong Pharmaceutical, which won the copyright by presenting a relatively low margin rate along with GSK, the developer of Shingrix. As local governments have recently competitively carried out projects to support shingles vaccination, the need to supply supplies to Zostavax and Sky Zoster is rather increasing. The supply of Zostavax and Sky Zoster has been insufficient in the general hospital and clinic markets. The shingles vaccine market is not reorganized around Shingrix, but rather, competitive items have recently benefited from reflection. Some even say that it is regrettable that the volume is rather small at a time when competitors are benefiting from shingles advertisements. Kim Joo-han, medical director of the Korean Society of Otolaryngologists (Open St. Mary's Otolaryngology Clinic), said, "Shingrix does not have many inoculations, but as local governments run shingles vaccine projects, even Zostavax and Sky Zoster supplies are insufficient."
