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- 2026-05-13 23:38:38
- Policy
- All targets for the benefit reassessment will be negotiated
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Oct 19, 2022 05:48am
- All six active ingredients-related companies that re-evaluated their benefit adequacy with the HIRA this year will meet at the negotiating table with the NHIS. In particular, the components for which the benefit maintenance has been decided will also be negotiated with the NHIS. Streptokinase and Streptodornase will negotiate the recovery according to the results of clinical re-evaluation, and 37 companies are subject to negotiation. Some predict that it will not be easy to meet the 30-day deadline for negotiations. According to the NHIS on the 18th, a negotiation order for drugs subject to this year's drug benefit adequacy evaluation will be issued from the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 14th and will proceed with individual companies until the 18th of next month. Except for Streptokinase and Streptodornase, which are negotiating the return, the rest of the items will be carried out by the generic management department of the drug management office of the industrial complex. The contents of the negotiations are related to supply and quality management obligations, and if there is no problem with supply, there will be no problem in concluding the negotiations. There is a possibility that the companies are not ready because the targets of this negotiation include Almagate, and Tiropramide, which have maintained salaries. In response, the NHIS is also contacting individual companies that have sanctions that have been ordered to negotiate and maintained salaries to guide them that they are subject to negotiations. Celltrion Pharmaceutical's Godex, which was the biggest concern for benefit reassessment, will also negotiate. However, negotiations on separate drug prices are not expected to proceed as Celltrion Pharmaceutical has been recognized for its appropriateness by voluntarily cutting drug prices. The problem is companies with Streptokinase and Streptodornase that have to go through negotiations with the Ministry of Drug Safety and Drug Administration Improvement in the industrial complex. On the 6th, the HIRA decided to suspend the evaluation for one year only for items agreed on in the return negotiation according to the results of the clinical re-evaluation. The companies can maintain their benefits only when they agree with the NHIS in negotiations. It is known that there are 37 target companies alone. Currently, the NHIS-related departments and pharmaceutical companies are working on strategies internally. The NHIS official said, "We plan to reach an agreement, such as the timing and rate of recovery while listening to and coordinating the opinions of the target companies." This year's drugs subject to the re-evaluation of benefit adequacy were six-component drugs, including Streptokinase and Streptodornase, Eperisone HCl, Godex, Sodium Alginate, Almagate, and Tiropramide Hydrochloride. Among them, Streptokinase and Streptodornase were conditional evaluation suspended, Eperisone HCl, and sodium Alginate were not recognized for some indicative benefit eligibility, and all other drugs were recognized for their benefit appropriateness.
- Company
- Novo Nordisk appoints Sasha Semienchuk as new GM
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Oct 19, 2022 05:48am
- Sasha Semienchuk, VP & General Manager, Novo Nordisk Korea On the 18th, Novo Nordisk announced that it has appointed Sasha Semienchuk as the VP and General Manager of its Korean subsidiary effective in October. Sasha Semienchuk owns over 20 years of experience in healthcare across sales, marketing, research, and management at multinational pharmaceutical companies and startups in 7 countries on three continents. After joining Novo Nordisk in 2012, Semienchuk was engaged in various diseases and therapeutic areas. From 2015, Semienchuk served as a Senior Director of Global Marketing in the obesity disease area at Novo Nordisk in Denmark and led communication and commercial activity between global exepert organizations. From 2018, Semienchuk worked as the Senior Marketing Director at Novo Nordisk Japan and led the launch of various new insulin products in its Insulin team. Meanwhile, his predecessor, Rana Azfar Zafar, has been appointed as Vice President of Novo Nordisk's CEM (Commonwealth Independent States Emerging Market) cluster and will be overseeing business in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia.
- Opinion
- [Desktop] Increase accessibility by beating generic prices
- by Kim, Jung-Ju Oct 19, 2022 05:48am
- The direction of the government's guarantee policy has been consistent. It is to reduce finances by preventing inefficient operations and increase patient accessibility with sufficient funds. It's a kind of 'trade-off' way. At one time, there was a massive plan to strengthen the search for hospitals and pharmacies that illegally borrow licenses to prevent unfair claims and raise funds to improve coverage. However, hospitals and pharmacies do not easily lead to collection even if they are searched, so this does not have a significant impact on fiscal appropriation. Then how about the drug price? Generic has already been restricted to cascading hurdles, and the additional system maintenance and re-evaluation of registered drugs have been confirmed to enter the benefit. All drugs must cross the last hurdle of PVA, the concept of follow-up management. Even if you enter a low price in the first place, the price falls easily if selling a lot. Drugs that do not have competitive drugs with the same ingredients are included, and companies eventually decide to stop supply. The imbalance in the supply and demand of cold medicine applies PVA exceptions without worrying about fundamentally solving the problem. When planning such a generic regulation policy, the government explained that it was a strategy to strengthen accessibility by using it to register expensive new drugs by increasing trade-offs, that is, generic drug prices and follow-up hurdles. This price-pressure strategy, which comes out whenever the financial situation is shaken and the need to strengthen guarantees grows, is actually a relatively easy way to secure funds. There is definitely a limit to securing financial resources by cutting drug prices like this without managing prescriptions. We should not delay the diversification of resources to meet the growing need for guarantees, including expanding patients' options, resolving information refraction or asymmetry, activating alternatives and introducing prescriptions for ingredients, and improving consumer awareness.
- Company
- Forxiga & Jardiance are expected to surpass 100 billion won
- by Nho, Byung Chul Oct 19, 2022 05:48am
- The SGLT-2-inhibited original diabetes treatment market recorded 53 billion won in the first half of this year, which is expected to surpass 100 billion won by the end of this year. The SGLT-2 original drug market was divided into Forxiga and Beringer Ingelheim Jardiance, and sales of 22.1 billion won and 30.9 billion won in the first half, respectively. The total sales of both Forxiga and Jardiance products last year were 91.6 billion won, up 94% from 47.1 billion won in 2018. From 2018 to 2021, Jardiance's sales were 19.8 billion won, 26.1 billion won, 29.4 billion won, and 32.3 billion won. During the same period, Jardiance Duo recorded 2.5 billion, 6.5 billion, 13.8 billion, and 21.1 billion won. Compared to the pace of growth between 2018 and 2021, Jardiance Duo increased by 63% (19.8 billion → 32.3 billion) and 744% (2.5 billion → 21.1 billion). Jardiance Duo's overall sales last year were 53.4 billion won, 15.3 billion more than Posh's 38.1 billion won. Jardiance Duo's sales in the first half of this year were 17.5 billion won and 13.3 billion won, respectively, and if such an elastic curve is maintained, it is expected to grow by 8.26% compared to the previous year. Forxiga's growth rate over the past four years is 54%, and its appearance between 2018 and 2021 recorded 24.7 billion won, 27.9 billion won, 32 billion won, and 38.1 billion won. Forxiga 10mg, which was approved in Korea in 2013, maintained 784 won at the beginning of its launch but was cut by 24 won to 760 won in May this year. This drug is used in type 2 diabetes monotherapy and is effective in reducing the risk of chronic heart failure and chronic kidney disease hospitalization and death. In particular, Forxiga is expected to compete fiercely in the market between original and generic due to the expiration of material patents in the first half of next year. When the patent expires, the original drug Forxiga will be recognized for 70% (532 won) of the existing drug price, 68% (516 won) of the generic released by innovative pharmaceutical companies, and 59.5% (452 won) of the generic. Jardiance, which was approved in 2014, is also used as a single and combination therapy for blood sugar control in type 2 diabetic patients, just like Forxiga. Jardiance 10 and Jardiance 25mg prices are 660 won and 852 won, respectively. Jardiance Duo 5/500, 5/850, 5/1000, 12.5/500, 12.5/850, and 12.5/1000 mg receive insurance drug prices of around 330 won to 469 won. New diabetes drugs with SGLT-2 inhibition mechanism have advantages of more advanced efficacy and low side effects, such as less strain on the kidneys while showing excellent blood sugar drop effects compared to existing treatments.
- Policy
- Is it possible to benefit from the K-CAB 4th indication?
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Oct 17, 2022 10:52pm
- Attention is focusing on whether HK inno. N's new drug K-CAB for gastroesophageal reflux disease will succeed in providing additional indications. Currently, K-CAB is being reimbursed to treat erosive and non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastric ulcer. In March 2019, K-CAB, which was first applied to the treatment of erosive and non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease, expanded its salary to the treatment of gastric ulcers in October last year. According to industries on the 17th, the HIRA has started reviewing the benefit standards for K-CAB. K-CAB has acquired a total of five indications so far. Among them, health insurance benefits are applied to three treatments: erosive and non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease treatment and gastric ulcer treatment. In the rest of the patients with peptic ulcers and chronic atrophic gastritis, antibiotic combination therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication and maintenance indications after treatment with erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease remain non-payment. HK inno.N is trying to being reimbursed for additional indications. If K-CAB succeeds in making additional indications, Daewoong Pharmaceutical, which launched its benefit in July It is expected to gain an edge in competition with Fexuclu. Fexuclu is currently only recognized for the treatment of erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease. Fexuclu 10mg is expected to seek additional benefit as it has an indication of improving gastric mucosal lesions of acute gastritis and chronic gastritis. Fexuclu is a P-CAB-based drug such as K-CAB, and has continued to be so popular that it recorded 2.6 billion won in outpatient prescription performance (based on UBIST) for two months as soon as it was released in July. K-CAB, which has secured exclusive status as the only P-CAB drug since its launch in 2019, has seen a formidable competitive drug. However, it is analyzed that K-CAB is still superior to Fexuclu due to its wide range of use, with medical care benefits applied to the current three indications. On top of that, some predict that the gap will widen if additional indications are secured. K-CAB recorded 60.6 billion won in outpatient prescriptions in the first half of this year, and is likely to surpass 100 billion won annually this year following last year. HK inno.N also plans to lead the market by developing clinical trials to add preventive therapy indications for gastric and duodenal ulcers that induce nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics.
- Opinion
- [Reporter’s View] The key to the ‘PE Exemption’ issue
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Oct 17, 2022 10:52pm
- The cries that the improvement reduces rather than expand benefits have reached the National Assembly. The government’s improvement plan for the special pharmacoeconomic evaluation (PE) exemption system was brought onto the chopping block at the NA audit. During the NA audit for the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service that was held on the 13th, Rep. Sun-Woo Kang of the Democratic Party of Korea raised an issue on the PE exemption system improvement plan that had been submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and HIRA. The “Measure to improve patient access and reinforce reimbursement management for high-priced severe disease treatments” that was recently presented by the government includes a measure to improve the PE exemption standards. According to Rep. Kang, unlike the authorities’ explanation, the drugs subject to PE Exemptions will be rather reduced if the improvement plan is applied. The “small number of eligible patients” which had previously been an “OR” clause for PE exemptions became a prerequisite in the proposed amendment, reducing the scope of eligible drugs. This issue has been raised continuously across the industry, including by the Korean Research-based Pharmaceutical Industry Association (KRPIA), since the government announced the amendment. In other words, the concern is that all drugs that wish to take the PE exemption track will have to have a “small number of eligible patients (less than 200 patients)” if the amendment is applied. On this, HIRA President Sun-Min Kim replied that “The 200 people limit is not absolute. All drugs that do not have enough patients to prepare evidence for PE evaluations are applied the PE evaluation exemption track.” In other words, the authorities will show some flexibility in the “small number” standard. However, the impact of this amendment is not only due to the changed premise. If the amendment is applied in the current state, all drugs that wish to take the PE exemption track have to have a small number of patients (as defined as 200 in the current criteria) and receive recognition from the committee for its difficulty in producing evidence to satisfy Article 2.c of the regulation. In other words, the companies will not be able to know if their drugs are eligible for the PE exemption track until HIRA’s Drug Reimbursement Review and Assessment Committee make a decision. This will inevitably have a significant impact on the predictability of reimbursement listings for companies that wish to use the PE exemption system. Considering how the new administration promised rapid listing of anticancer and rare disease drugs immediately upon its inauguration and the non-reimbursed blind spots still remain for drugs that are applied special exemptions, the government needs to seriously consider whether this amendment is achieving its original purpose.
- Policy
- PVA, financial resources to register new drugs, not penaltie
- by Lee, Jeong-Hwan Oct 17, 2022 10:52pm
- Regarding the criticism that PVA imposes penalties on pharmaceutical companies that produce drugs with high public demand, the Ministry of Health and Welfare countered that it is a system that contributes to improving patient accessibility through new drug insurance. The Ministry of Health and Welfare also said that it is impossible to temporarily suspend the implementation of PVA until the time when exchange rates and prices stabilize. On the 17th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare responded to written questions about PVA by Baek Jong-heon and Lee Jong-sung of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee. Lawmaker Baek Jong-heon pointed out that cutting drug prices as usage increases is contradictory to imposing penalties on pharmaceutical companies with high public demand. It also said it could hinder cooperation between domestic and global companies. The Ministry of Health and Welfare did not agree with the National Assembly's criticism, explaining in principle the purpose of introducing the system. However, he said he would review improvement measures according to the results of the ongoing policy research service. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "PVA was introduced in 2006 as part of a plan to optimize drug costs. Drugs that have excessively affected health insurance finances are subject to negotiation, he said. "We will cut drug prices within a range of up to 10%." The Ministry of Health and Welfare explained, "The finances saved by PVA are used as financial resources to improve patient accessibility through the registration of new drugs." The Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "We are conducting policy research services under the auspices of the NHIS. "We will present reasonable improvement measures through collecting opinions from stakeholders," he said. Rep. Lee Jong-sung said the system should be suspended until the time when exchange rates and prices stabilize from next year, but the Ministry of Health and Welfare opposed it, saying it needs to be carefully reviewed. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "The purpose of the system is to pursue the rationality of drug spending. The drug price cut also has the effect of reducing the cost of patient's copy, he said. "The temporary suspension of PVA needs to be carefully reviewed."
- Policy
- “No considerations made to protect generics” at NA audit
- by Lee, Jeong-Hwan Oct 17, 2022 10:52pm
- After the Ministry of Health and Welfare revealed its plan to lower the price of generics step by step at the 2022 NA Audit, the domestic pharmaceutical industry has been expressly expressing their displeasure on how pro-government the regulation is and criticized how the plan does not consider the realities of the industry. The industry relayed its concerns on how the MOHW had opted to save NHI finances by regulating the price of generics rather than protecting the domestic industry, even though the sales of generics are a major means for profit generation used by domestic pharmaceutical companies to invest in R&D of new drugs. Also, suggestions that policies to preserve drug prices or preferential pricing should be considered and pharmaceutical support for new drug development should be increased substantially if the government plans to implement such drug price-reducing policies. On the 16th, the domestic industry has been reacting sensitively to the issue of generic drug price cuts raised that had been raised at the NA Audit by the NA Health and Welfare Committee. During the NA Audit for MOHW, Rep. Jae-Hyung Choi of the People Power Party raised the need to reduce NHI expenditures through drug price cuts and expand R&D investments for new drugs, pointing out how generic drug prices in Korea are excessively high compared to those in other advanced countries overseas. MOHW Minister Kyu-Hong Cho agreed with Rep. Choi and said he will seek measures to lower the price of generics in Korea step-by-step as the price of generics in Korea is higher than overseas. On this, the domestic pharmaceutical companies have complained that the government has opted to unilaterally reduce the price of generic drugs, which is the easiest way to save NHI finances. Although financial management of insurance in other advanced countries cannot be simply compared with Korea's situation, the government is pushing this fragmentary logic, vaguely comparing the price of generic drugs to original drugs to hold as a reason to lower drug prices. The industry also claimed that the NA and MOHW’s argument that the higher price of generic drugs in Korea compared to overseas undermines the willpower to develop new drugs. In particular, they criticized how critical an issue it is that the MOHW does not properly recognize the "generic Industry as part of the domestic industry.” While many foreign countries, including the US’s Biden administration, are devising multifaceted measures to protect their own pharmaceutical bio-industry, Korea is repeatedly laying out measures that cut the price of generic drugs in its own industry to “secure financial soundness” of NHI finances. Reducing the price of generic drugs in the single-payer NHI system will only reduce the share of the pie held by the domestic industry, which in turn will increase the market share of foreign pharmaceutical companies and cause difficulties for domestic pharmaceutical companies from market contraction. Moreover, the industry demanded that MOHW should proactively consider measures to preserve generic drug prices in various situations as much as for the reduction of the same, and develop policies to provide preferential pricing for innovative new drugs and budget support for new drug development, etc. Without a drug price preservation policy that partially exempts or suspends post-drug price cuts for generic drugs that have contributed to saving NHI finances, the generic drug price cuts will only impede drivers of new drug development in pharmaceutical companies. An official from Company A said, “Pounding on generics may be the easiest way to reduce NHI finances on the government’s part, but generics are the root and cash cow of the Korean pharmaceutical industry. Not many companies are reluctant to invest in new drug development because the price of generics are so high.” “Companies that continue to invest in new drugs and IMDs despite the burden of sunken costs will face a lack of financial resources to continue the research if the price of generic drugs is reduced. In addition, Korean companies have continuously contributed to national health crises with their generics, such as in resolving the Tamiflu shortage during the swine flu incident.” “Korea has a tendency to undervalue generic drugs, undermining the social contribution that had been made by the generic drugs and periodically reducing their price. The US uses private insurance, not a single-payer system like Korea. This is one of the reasons why generic drug prices of different countries should not be compared simply.” Another domestic pharmaceutical company official from Company B also said, "President Biden has recently issued an executive order to protect the pharmaceutical and bio-industry in the US. If the Korean market is attractive because of the high generic drug prices, why wouldn’t the foreign generic companies be entering the Korean market?"
- Company
- Shingrix costs 600,000 won
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Oct 17, 2022 10:51pm
- The inoculation price of Shingrix, a shingles vaccine scheduled to be supplied in December, is expected to be around 600,000 won. It is four to five times the existing inoculation price. According to the pharmaceutical industry on the 15th, GSK and GC Pharma recently officially signed a domestic joint sales contract for Shingrix. The two companies agreed to supply the next-generation shingles vaccine at around 160,000 won. The inoculation price reflecting the supply price is expected to be around 300,000 won. In the case of Shingrix, considering that immunity is completed with two vaccinations, the total vaccination price to be paid by the patient is around 600,000 won. The existing vaccines MSD Zostavax and SK Bioscience SKY Zoster were sold for 150,000 won to 200,000 won at the front-line opening price. In the case of Shingrix, vaccination prices have been set at four to five times the level of existing vaccines. GSK and GC Pharma plan to start distributing Shingrix nationwide in December. The first volume is 360,000 degrees, which can fit 180,000 people. GSK obtained Shingrix permission from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in September last year. It was originally planned to be released in February this year, but the schedule was delayed day by day. Shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent herpes zoster in adults over the age of 50 and immunocompromised people over the age of 18. When Shingrix is released, it is expected to be the third shingles vaccine in Korea after MSD Zostavax and SK Bioscience SKY Zoster. It is evaluated that the effect of preventing shingles confirmed in clinical trials is superior to that of the two existing vaccines. In Shingrix clinical trials (ZOE-50) for adults over the age of 50, the effect of preventing shingles was 97% at 3.2 years after vaccination. In clinical trials (ZOE-70) for those aged 70 or older, it was 90% at 3.7 years after vaccination. In the case of Zostavax, a competitive product, it has a preventive effect of 51% for those over 50 and 41% for those over 70. SKY Zoster demonstrated Zostavax and specific heat in clinical practice. It is analyzed that there is no significant difference from Zostavax in terms of prevention rate. GC Pharma has experience in co-selling MSD's herpes zostavax vaccine in the past. GC Pharma co-sold Zostavax for eight years until 2020 through a contract extension once after signing a co-promotion contract with MSD since 2013. In the process, Zostavax has grown into a large item with annual sales of 80 billion won. However, SK Bioscience launched its competitive product SKY Zoster at the end of 2017, and sales have decreased significantly since 2020 as the overall market size has shrunk due to the prolonged Corona crisis. According to IQVIA, a pharmaceutical market research firm, Zostavax sales last year amounted to 27 billion won, down 68% in four years from 83.7 billion won in 2017. This year, sales were only 11.6 billion won until the first half of the year. The pharmaceutical industry expects Shingrix to lead the domestic shingles vaccine market to rebound. In the global market, Shingrix's sales, which had already been dampened by the Corona crisis, began to recover in the second half of last year. In the first half of this year, Shingrix's global sales were £1.429 billion, more than doubling compared to the same period last year.
- Shingrix, a shingles vaccine, will be released in December
- by Oct 17, 2022 06:03am
- Shingrix, a new shingles vaccine that boasts overwhelming preventive effects, will be officially released in December. It is expected to shake the game of shingles vaccines by showing a 97% prevention effect, which is twice that of existing vaccines, and proving long-term effectiveness and safety. On the other hand, prices are more than four times higher and small initial supplies are considered barriers. According to the pharmaceutical industry on the 17th, GSK will release a new shingles vaccine, Shingrix, in Korea in December. It has been a year and three months since it was approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea. Shingrix is an antigen of Glycoprotein E, a protein component of chickenpox and shingles virus. It combines AS01B, an immune enhancer that improves the immune response to the antigen, to exhibit a strong and continuous immune response. Shingrix is the third shingles vaccine and the first vaccine in Korea. Previously, it was a two-tier system of SKY Zoster by MSD Zostavax and SK Bioscience. Both products are live vaccines, which transformed parts of viruses or bacteria, eliminating the ability to produce toxicity, and leaving only self-breeding and immune-inducing capabilities. On the other hand, Shingrix, a four-vaccine vaccine, is a special treatment that deactivates all or part of a virus or bacteria and can be inoculated even to those who have difficulty getting a live vaccine due to reduced immunity. ◆The prevention rate of herpes zoster among those in their 50s and older is 97% The biggest advantage of Shingrix is by far the prevention rate. Unlike Zostavax and SKY Zoster, which showed a 51% prevention effect in patients over the age of 50, Shingrix had a 97% prevention rate. According to Shingrix Phase III clinical trial ZOE-50, Shingrix has a 97.2% preventive effect over an average 3.2-year follow-up period. In the results of separately selecting and analyzing ZOE-70 clinical trials and participants in the ZEO-50 study for patients aged 70 or older, Singrix maintained a preventive effect of more than 90%. Specifically, Shingrix had a 91% prevention rate in both 70s and 80s. This is in contrast to existing vaccines, which have fallen to 41% of the prevention effect among those aged 70 and older. Even if you have shingles after vaccination with Shingrix, the probability of preventing "shingles post-shingles neuralgia," a representative complication, was 91% for those over the age of 50 and 89% for those over the age of 70. The long-term effects of Shingrix are also being demonstrated. Currently, GSK is conducting a long-term follow-up study on clinical participants to see the long-term safety and effectiveness of Shingrix. According to the current confirmation, 91% of preventive effects were maintained for 7.1 years after Shingrix vaccination in all age groups over the age of 50. While maintaining a stable response to immunogenicity and cell-mediated immunity, the antibody concentration was found to be more than six times higher than the level before vaccination until eight years after vaccination. ◆ Two inoculations and expensive price barriers…The disadvantage is that 180,000 units are small In addition to the preventive effect, Shingrix differs from existing vaccines in terms of the number of vaccinations and price. Unlike Zostavax and SKY Zoster, which are one inoculation, Shingrix is two inoculations. You should get another vaccine between 2 and 6 months after the first vaccination. The cost of vaccination is expected to be 4 to 5 times higher than that of existing vaccines. According to the industry, GSK recently set the supply price of Shingrix at around 160,000 won per dose. The inoculation price, which reflects the supply price, is expected to be around 300,000 won. Considering that it is a total of two vaccinations, the total vaccination price that the patient has to pay is around 600,000 won. Currently, the inoculation price of Zostavax and SKY Zoster is about 150,000 won to 200,000 won. In other words, it becomes as expensive as four times at least, and five times at most. Despite the high inoculation price, Shingrix is expected to change the market landscape due to its unique preventive effect. The U.S. has already been overturned as a soloist, accounting for 98% of the market share within a year of its launch. Shingrix's U.S. sales reached 2.5 trillion won in 2019 and about 3 trillion won in 2020. Sales fell last year when COVID-19 was severe, but the company predicted a more significant rebound this year However, it is expected that it will be difficult to meet Shingrix in front-line hospitals and clinics immediately after its launch in December due to insufficient initial supplies. According to the industry, the initial volume of Shingrix is 360,000 doses, which can only fit 180,000 people. The initial volume will also be introduced sequentially according to the domestic inspection schedule such as the national lot release, and the supply is expected to be supplied from general hospitals.
