Eisai is pinched first / Chia Tai Tianqing Lunvatinib is approved!

Before lenvatinib was marketed, for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma) without systemic drug treatment, China only had sorafenib (trade name: NEXAVAR) as a targeted drug.
The drug was approved for listing in China in 2008.
In 2019, the sales of sorafenib in China were 1.
35 billion yuan
.
According to the results of phase III clinical trials, the median overall survival of patients with NEXAVAR for advanced liver cancer is 10.
7 months, which is 2.
8 months longer than that of untreated patients
.

However, lenvatinib has more advantages in the efficacy of liver cancer patients in China, and it is also called the "upgraded version" of sorafenib in the industry
.
Domestic clinical trials have shown that the median overall survival of lenvatinib is 15 months, bisorafenib is increased by 4.
8 months, and the risk of death is reduced by 50%
.

The medical insurance payment price of Bayer Sorafenib is 5700 yuan/box (0.
2g*60 tablets), and the dosage is 0.
4g (0.
2g*2) each time, twice a day, according to the amount of 2 boxes per month.
Calculated according to the medical insurance reimbursement ratio of 70%-80%, the patient's monthly treatment cost is 2500-3500 yuan
.

It is worth mentioning that in February this year, Sorafenib was selected by the fourth batch of centralized procurement
.
The bidding results showed that Bayer, the original researcher, won the bid.
The winning bidders for this variety were Jiangxi Shanxiang and Chongqing Yaoyou, a subsidiary of Fosun Pharma.
The prices were 1,369 yuan/box (0.
2g*60 tablets) and 798 yuan/box (0.
2g*).
30 pieces), the decrease was 76% and 72% respectively
.
Bayer's sorafenib still implements the medical insurance payment price, which is obviously more expensive than the medical insurance price of lenvatinib
.

Before June 8 this year, for HCC patients, the first-line single-drug regimen had only two options: Bayer's sorafenib and Eisai's lenvatinib
.
On June 8, 2021, Zejing Pharmaceutical’s Donafinil Toluenesulfonate Tablets (abbreviation: Donafinil, trade name: Zeprosyn) was also approved for marketing by the State Food and Drug Administration, and the indication is Donafinil Single agent for the treatment of inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma patients who have not received systemic treatment in the past (first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma)
.
HCC patients have another choice
.

According to public information, the market price of Donafinil is 8266 yuan/box (0.
1g*40 tablets), and the usage is 0.
1g each time, twice a day.
The treatment cost is calculated according to the amount of 3 boxes of patients per month.
It is 24798 yuan/month
.
It is reported that Donafinil has also introduced a drug-giving policy, which is to buy a total of 6 boxes for 2 months, and you can apply for assistance for 10 months (up to 30 boxes)
.
After the donation of the medicine, the annual treatment cost of Donafenib can be reduced to about 50,000 yuan
.

The medical insurance negotiations in 2021 are also coming soon, and the industry speculates that Donafenib is also more likely to be included in the medical insurance list
.
It can be seen that the HCC first-line monotherapy market has entered a wave of price cuts
.
As more and more single drugs are approved, generic drugs enter, and combination therapies enter, competition will be fierce
.

Reference materials:

Eisai's 2019~2020 financial report, Insight database, etc.
;

"Zejing enters the front line of liver cancer, the product is finally about to go on sale, but the pricing is a bit "awkward"
.
"