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- 2026-03-18 05:51:35
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- Sales in the SGLT-2 diabetes drug market rose by 10%
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Jul 27, 2021 05:35am
- Xigduo·Jardiance Duo Prescription performance of compound drugs has increased significantly in the market for diabetic drugs in the SGLT-2 inhibitors. Outpatient Rx increased by 23% in the second quarter of the year. The single formulation only increased by 4% during the same period, showing slowing down. According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical market research agency on the 23rd, the total amount of outpatient prescriptions for diabetes treatments related to SGLT-2 inhibitors in the second quarter is estimated at ₩32.2 billion. Compared to ₩29.2 billion in the second quarter of last year, it increased by 10%. Market growth was led by combination formulations. The combined prescriptions for Xigduo (Metformin HCl+ Dapagliflozin Propanediol Hydrate) and Jardiance Duo (Empagliflozin +Metformin HCl) increased from ₩10.6 billion in the second quarter of last year to ₩13 billion in the first quarter of this year. Sales of Jardiance Duo rose 42% from ₩3.7 billion to ₩5.2 billion. Xigduo rose 13% from ₩6.9 billion to ₩7.8 billion. Boehringer Ingelheim launched the product a year later than AstraZeneca. The total amount of prescriptions for AstraZeneca's Forxiga and Boehringer Ingelheim's Jardiance, Astellas' Suglat and MSD’s Steglatro rose from ₩18.7 billion to ₩19.3 billion in the second quarter. By item, Forxiga increased 4% from ₩8.8 billion in the second quarter of last year to ₩9.2 billion in the second quarter of this year. Jardiance increased 5% from ₩8.5 billion to ₩8.9 billion over the same period. Suglat posted a prescription record of ₩800 million in the second quarter of this year, following the second quarter of last year. Steglatro fell 27% from ₩600 million to ₩400 million during the same period.
- Company
- Ultomiris can be prescribed in general hospitals
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Jul 26, 2021 05:51am
- According to related industries, Ultomiris (Ravulizumab), a treatment drug for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) supplied by Alexion to the domestic market, recently passed the D.C. of Seoul National University Hospital. It will be quickly prescribed after obtaining approval from the MFDS in May last year and being listed on the insurance benefit list on April 7. Solaris (30ml), at ₩5,132,364, so if three vials are administered bi-weekly per patient, ₩400 million is needed per year alone. Ultomiris was listed at ₩5,598,942 per bottle, and Ultomiris can be administered once every eight weeks from two weeks after initial dose administration, which is expected to lower the annual dose per patient compared to Soliris. However, like Solaris, a pre-approval system is introduced, and health authorities inspect monitoring before and after administration. PHN disease is one of the rare life-threatening blood diseases characterized by the destruction of red blood cells by the body, which is part of the immune system. In particular, it is a serious disease in which four out of 10 people die within five years if they are not treated after diagnosis. It is known that there are about 200 patients in Korea. Soliris (Eculizumab), which was released in Korea in 2012, is the only treatment of PHN, and patients treated with soliris improved their 5-year survival rate by 95.5%. Ultomiris demonstrated its validity through two studies conducted on PNH patients ( study 301, study 302). In the studies, Ultomiris demonstrated non-equality of treatment results compared to conventional Eculizumab in primary evaluation metrics such as transfusion avoidance, LDH normalization, LDH rate of change, FACIT-Fatigue score change. In addition, 93% of patients preferred Ultomiris in a preference evaluation study conducted on patients with seizures night haemoglobinosis who had received treatment with both Solaris and Ultomiris as an extended treatment study in the study 302.
- Company
- Mother's and Kyung Dong won the patent dispute
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Jul 26, 2021 05:50am
- Tenelia M SR Mother's and Kyungdong Pharmaceutical won the patent dispute over DPP-4 Inhibitor Series Diabetes Complex Tenelia M SR (Metformin HCl + Teneligliptin Hydrobromide Hydrate). This is expected to compete with Genuonescience, which won ahead of the two companies with the early release of generic for Tenelia M SR. According to the pharmaceutical industry on the 22nd, the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board decided on the 21st at the Defensive Confirmation Trial for the Scope of a Right, which Mother's and Kyung Dong filed against Korea. The patent applied to Tenelia M SR is a formulation patent that expires in 2034. In January this year, Genuonescience filed a trial alone. Then in April, Mother's and Kyung Dong claimed. However, Mother's and Kyung Dong did not meet the "first request for trial" requirement to acquire generic for exclusivity. This is because the trial was not filed within 14 days of the filing date of the patent trial by Genuonescience. Genuonescience, which filed a trial three months earlier, won. On May 24, it was billed by the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board. Two months later, Mother's and Kyung Dong succeeded in the challenge. Three companies are expected to compete with the early release of generics for Tenelia M SR in the future. However, Genuonescience is said to be one step ahead in this competition. This is because two out of three requirements have already been acquired for generic for exclusivity. The key is the initial application for permission. Earlier last month, Genuonescience and Mother's applied for permits at the same time. It is not clear which of the two submitted the application first. If Genuonescience had applied first, it would be possible to obtain generic for exclusivity from the MFDS. The company can monopolize the generics market without competing with other companies for nine months after Tenelia M's material patent expires on October 25 next year. If Mother's first submitted an application, no company can obtain generic for exclusivity. Thus, Genuonescience, Mother's, and Kyung Dong can release the generic regardless of generic for exclusivity. Tenelia is a DPP-400 inhibitor series of diabetes treatments introduced in Korea by Handok from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma. Korea developed its own compound Tenelia M SR by adding Metformin to a single-agent Tenelia. According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical market research firm, Tenelia posted a prescription record of ₩19.7 billion and Tenelia M, ₩22.8 billion last year. It was prescribed ₩10 billion and ₩11.7 billion respectively until the first half of this year.
- Company
- Glaucoma tx Taflotan demonstrates long-term effectiveness
- by Jul 26, 2021 05:49am
- Santen (CEO Lee Han-woong) announced on the 21st that an open-angle glaucoma high-pressure treatment called Taflotan has confirmed the effects of long-term intraocular pressure lowering and glaucoma inhibition in comparison with PGA. The results of the PGA analysis were published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. The LOTUS study is the first multi-organ retrospective cohort study that compares and analyzes the long-term effects and safety profiles of PGA, the primary treatment for glaucoma, in Korean patients. From January 2010 to June 2016, we evaluated the progression of visual impairment and the effect of reduced intraocular pressure on primary glaucoma or normal intraocular glaucoma patients, including Taflotan, Latanoprost, and Travoprost. Based on electronic medical records (EMR), the patient group was classified into primary glaucoma or normal eye pressure glaucoma group (216 patients) and normal eye pressure glaucoma group (177 patients). The study found that the MD Slope in the Taflotan treatment group remained stable for a long time in the early open-angle glaucoma or early normal eye pressure glaucoma, similar to that in the case of administration of Latanoprost and Travoprost. Measurements of eye pressure changes after administration of Taflotan showed a decrease of -1.89±2.77mmHg in the primary open angle glaucoma or normal intraocular pressure glaucoma group and -2.20±2.64mmHg in the normal intraocular pressure glaucoma group. The reduced eye pressure remained stable for a long time. The effects between the three PGA's were identified at similar levels in both patient groups, with no significant adverse reactions. Glaucoma is a disease in which the optic nerve becomes weaker due to increased intraocular pressure, and it is fatal because it can lead to blindness. Glaucoma is divided into open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma, one of the most common types of open-angle glaucoma in domestic glaucoma, depending on whether the discharge passage for waterproofing the eye pressure is open. Normal eye pressure glaucoma is within the normal range of 21mmHg or less, but active drug treatment is needed because the optic nerve is vulnerable and easily damaged. PGA is the drug family with the highest intraocular pressure drop effect among glaucoma single drugs developed so far, and is most often used as a primary treatment for glaucoma due to its high patient conformity and little systemic side effects. "LOTUS research is meaningful in that it compares the long-term effects and safety profiles of PGA, which are most commonly used in glaucoma treatment, for the first time in Korea," said Kim Joon-mo, an ophthalmologist at Sungkyunkwan University's medical school. "In particular, we expect that it will help patients preserve their vision and vision from an early stage, as the glaucoma progression of Taflotan-only treatment has been confirmed to be equivalent to that of the existing PGA," he said. Meanwhile, Taflotan is a glaucoma treatment released by Santen in 2010 and is available for patients with open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension, including normal eye pressure glaucoma.
- Company
- Generics for Betmiga, ↑19% market share in just one year
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Jul 23, 2021 05:57am
- Betmiga, Mirabek & Selebeta Generics for Betmiga (Mirabegron) are gaining market influence. Two generics for market share expanded to 19% in just one year after its launch. The release of generics resulted in a 14% drop in the amount of outpatient prescriptions for the original over a year. According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical market research institute on the 21st, the size of outpatient prescription market for irritable bladder treatments with Mirabegron ingredients in the second quarter was ￦17.3 billion. Compared to ￦16.5 billion in the same period last year, it increased by 5 %. The second-quarter prescription for the original Betmiga is ￦14 billion, down 14% from a year earlier. Hanmi and Chong Kun Dang released Mirabegron and Sellebeta in June and July last year, respectively. The amount of the original product decreased from ￦16.4 billion in the second quarter of last year to ￦16.1 billion in the third quarter, ￦15.9 billion in the fourth quarter, ￦15.4 billion in the first quarter and ￦14 billion in the second quarter. The market share fell from 99% to 81%. Considering that Betmiga's prices are almost the same as before, it is interpreted that the generics directly affected the original performance decline. Astellas has postponed the decision to lower the price of generics due to administrative litigation. However, since March of this year, the upper limit of insurance has been reduced by 5.5% in accordance with the price-volume agreement negotiation system. The total amount of prescription for two generics in the second quarter is ￦3.2 billion. Its share in the overall market is 19%. It succeeded in taking up one fifth of the market within a year of its release. Hanmi is ahead in the competition between the two generics. As of second quarter, Mirabek recorded ￦2.4 billion and Selebeta recorded ￦800 million. In particular, Mirabek is expected to achieve ￦10 billion per year. The key is the additional release of generics. Generic exclusivity period for Mirabek and Selebeta ended in February this year. Currently, 26 companies, excluding Hanmi and Chong Kun Dang, are preparing to launch with generic approval. Betmiga is an irritant bladder drug released by Astellas in October 2015. Annual prescriptions include ￦28.8 billion in 2016, ￦41.9 billion in 2017, ￦54.8 billion in 2018, ￦64.7 billion in 2019, and ￦65.1 billion in 2020. There are about 40 domestic companies that have entered into patent challenges. Since 2015, the company has filed defensive confirmation trial for the scope of a right. Among them, Hanmi and Chong Kun Dang won the generic exclusivity. The generic exclusivity period was from May 4 last year to February 3 this year.
- Company
- Sales of Lyrica's generics sales beat Lyrica in nine years
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Jul 23, 2021 05:57am
- Lyrica (Pregabalin) For the first time, sales of Lyrica's generics, which is worth ₩120 billion a year, surpassed the original sales. It is the first time in nine years that a generic has been released in Korea. The reason why it took a relatively long time to expand generic prescription performance is because the original company, Viatris, has registered material patent & use patent. Use patent of Lyrica has been registered since the expiration of the material patent in 2012, and generic companies have sold generics in earnest since August 2017, when use patent was expired. ◆ Generics ₩16 billion vs Original ₩14.6 billion According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical market research institute on the 21st, the size of Pregabalin market is estimated to be ₩30.6 billion in the second quarter of this year. The size of the market itself is almost the same as that of the second quarter of last year (₩30.6 billion). However, the market share between the original and generics has changed significantly over the past year. The prescription amount of the original Lyrica decreased 12% from ₩16.6 billion in the second quarter of last year to ₩14.6 billion in the second quarter of this year. Sales of generics recorded ₩16 billion in the second quarter of this year. Compared to the second quarter of last year, it increased by 14%. The team beat the original for the first time based on its quarterly performance. It is the first time in nine years since the generic was released in Korea. As of second quarter, market share of generic is 52%. ◆ Generics were sold in earnest after the expiration of the usage patent in 2017 Domestic companies released generics in 2012 in line with the expiration of material patent of Lyrica. However, indication expired at that time was limited to epilepstic seizure. Drugs were not available for neurological pain. Until August 2017, when use patent expired, the sale amount of generic prescriptions was around ₩1 billion per quarter. Its market share also fell below 10%. However, sales of generics have increased in earnest since the expiration of the patent. The market share of generic products rose to 34% in 2018 after the expiration of the patent. It increased to 42 % in 2019 and 49% last year. The difference between prescription amount between original and generic in the first quarter was only ₩100 million. It finally surpassed the original in the second quarter. As of the second quarter, 117 companies have been approved for 330 items. HK inno.N's second-quarter prescription for Kabalin was ₩3.2 billion. Last year, it was the only generic product that had a prescription record of ₩10.7 billion. As of the second quarter, Daewoong Bio's Lyribear's sales were ₩1.5 billion won, Hanmi's Prebalin sales were ₩800 million, Medica Korea's Prelika and Hanlim's Gabaneuro were ₩700 million, Samjin's Neurocover-PG, Celltrion's Lyfrega and Lyreca were ₩600 million, respectively. All of the remaining products are less than ₩400 million.
- Company
- Optimal doses of Effient and Brilinta different for Koreans
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Jul 22, 2021 05:53am
- The theory that East Asians, including Koreans, require dose adjustments when receiving dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) prescriptions is gaining strength. In other words, the ‘East Asian Paradox’ theory that antithrombotics' clinical effect and safety are different for East Asians compared to Westerners is now being recognized worldwide. In Korea, with Young-Hoon Jung, director of the Cardiovascular Center at Gyeongsang National University Hospital, marking the start, domestic researchers have emphasized that East Asians show a different response to antithrombotics due to their lower risk of atherothrombotic events and a higher risk for serious bleeding events than Westerners and that an appropriate treatment guideline needs to be developed for Koreans. This opinion had also been reflected in the joint statement published by the Korean Society of Myocardial Infarction last year. As a result, various de-escalation strategies were studied on patients with acute myocardial infarction, all of which significantly reduced bleeding risk. The TICO study that demonstrated the effect of aspirin discontinuation therapy after 3 months, the TALOS-AMI study that showed the effect of switching from 'Brilinta (ticagrelor)' ‘to 'Plavix (clopidogrel)' after 1 month, and the HOST-REDUCE-POLYTECH-ACS that showed the effect of the de-escalation therapy of reducing the dose of 'Effient (prasugrel)' to half, are representative cases of studies supporting dose reduction. In addition, various pharmacokinetic and clinical observation studies that support reduced-dose therapies using Efficient and Brilinta were recently published in Korea and are expected to be used to revise the treatment guidelines in the future. First, Professor Young-hoon Jeong’s team published the results of a multicenter A-MATCH study that was conducted at 8 university hospitals on acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients in the latest issue of the international journal, Thrombosis and Haemostasis. In the study, ACS patients before discharge were assigned to a standard-dose prasugrel 10mg, half-dose prasugrel 5mg, or platelet function test (PFT)-guided group for a 1-month treatment. Results showed that the ratio of patients that show an appropriate antiplatelet effect was 3.8 times and 3.5 times higher in the latter two groups compared to the Effient 10mg treated group. Bleeding frequency was also lower by 42% and 45% in the other two groups compared to the Effient 10mg treated group. Patients who experienced bleeding were around twice more likely to change drugs within the 1-year treatment period. Professor Jeong explained, “The standard-dose prasugrel had shown excessive strong platelet inhibition in Koreans. On the other hand, the half-dose prasugrel showed a clear reduction in bleeding risk and appropriate antiplatelet effect.” Also, in the HOPE-TAILOR study published in the international clinical medicine journal, J Clin Med, in June by Dong-A University Hospital’s Professor Mooh Hyun Kim and his Circulatory Internal Medicine team, the half-dose Effient and Brilinta demonstrated a more adequate optimal platelet reactivity (OPR) than the standard dose. However, the half-dose Brilinta treatment still showed excessive strong platelet inhibition and had significantly increased bleeding events in the 9-month treatment period compared to half-dose Effient, and standard-dose Plavix (31.6% vs. 12.2%, HR=2.93), also presenting the need for a large-scale clinical study on the optimal drug and dose for Koreans. Pusan National University Hospital’s Professor Jin Sup Park and his Circulatory Internal Medicine team also published their results of the BLEEDING-ACS study that was conducted on ACS patients in the latest issue of an international medical journal. The researchers randomly assigned ACS patients with low platelet reactivity (LPR) to standard-dose (90mg) or half-dose (45mg) of Brilinta to compare their frequency of bleeding events and dyspnea. Results showed that the frequency of bleeding events and dyspnea were similar between the two groups at 6 months, and was most frequent within 3 months of treatment, then decreased over time. However, the researchers also saw a 70% reduction of the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) events (BARC type ≥2) in the low-dose Brilinta group. This reduction was more prominent in patients with a BMI of less than 25 kg/m2 or patients over 65 years of age. As in the case of Effient, the result suggests that reducing Brilinta’s dose in patients with a higher risk of bleeding, such as older or underweight patients, may have a more noticeable effect. Professor Park said, “No increase in ischemic events were observed in Korean patients with ACS when reducing the dose of ticagrelor by half. The dose reduction only significantly reduced risk of serious bleeding events.”` Meanwhile, studies on the appropriate dose of Brilinta for Koreans are currently underway, just like the HOST-REDUCE-POLYTECH-ACS studies that demonstrated the effect of half-dose Effient. The EASTYLE study, which is being conducted by Professor Mooh Hyun Kim and Professor Young-Hoon Jung's team, is studying the clinical efficacy of a de-escalation strategy, using 60mg Brilinta (45mg for older and underweight patients), and a hybrid therapy of discontinuing aspirin after 3 months in 2,000 Korean patients
- Company
- Celltrion's Regkirona was approved for EUA in Indonesia
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Jul 22, 2021 05:52am
- Celltrion said on the 20th that the coronavirus 19 antibody treatment drug Regkirona (Regdanvimab) has obtained an emergency approval (EUA) from the BPOM. The Indonesian government has approved the emergency use of Regkirona for minor and secondary patients in the high-risk adult group with COVID-19. According to the COVID-19 real-time statistics site "Worldometer," Indonesia's confirmed case of COVID-19 reached 2.88 million people and the death reached 73,600 on the 19th. The spread of delta mutations has led to a surge in the number of people infected with COVID-19. Celltrion said it recently confirmed Regkirona's neutralizing ability in animal testing of the delta mutation virus. Regkirona is expected to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Indonesia. A Celltrion official said, "We have obtained approval for EUA from the BPOM by proving its efficacy based on Regkirona's global clinical and quality data." "With this, we expect that Regkirona's export negotiations will go well. We will do our best to supply products globally quickly."
- Company
- Why Keytruda’s smile wavers after passing CDRC deliberation
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Jul 21, 2021 05:52am
- The drug finally was able to pass deliberations by the Review Committee for Cancer Diseases, but still, the company's smile wavers due to the bitter aftertaste left by the committee’s ‘conditional’ approval. With MSD Korea’s cancer immunotherapy ‘Keytruda (pembrolizumab)’ passing deliberations by the Review Committee for Cancer Diseases in July, industry expectations are rising on the possibility of the drug’s benefit coverage being expanded to first-line in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) However, under the air of anticipation there lies concerns as the Review Committee for Cancer Diseases had put forward a condition for granting the nod to Keytruda. During deliberations, the Review Committee for Cancer Diseases once again mentioned Keytruda’s equity with Tecentriq to MSD Korea, requesting additional modifications to be made to the cost-sharing plan. This indicates that the drug pricing negotiations with the Pharmaceutical Benefit Appraisal Committee or the National Health Insurance Service will act as a variable in the discussion of Keytruda's benefit expansion to the lung cancer indication. The agenda to expand Keytruda’s reimbursement to first-line in lung cancer had been introduced to the Committee for Cancer Diseases meeting 9 times, which took almost 4 full years. As a winning bid, MSD Korea had submitted what MSD Korea’s newly appointed managing director Kevin Peters described as an “unprecedented financial sharing plan” at the last meeting, determined to receive approval this time. Despite such effort, a serious ‘condition’ was attached to the approval. Due to this, some believe that the Review Committee for Cancer Diseases has 'passed' Keytruda's reimbursement mainly due to the ‘burden’ of leaving the agenda pending. This goes to show how much influence the condition to ‘cover the initial 3 cycles’ worth of administration cost’ that Roche Korea had accepted in the reimbursement process of ‘Tecentriq (atezolizumab)’ has in the drug reimbursement process. MSD had repeatedly proposed compromises and revised plans to the government and expressed that their proposal meets the requested condition. However, there is no doubt that the company finds it difficult to accept the 3-cycle cost burden as is. With no time to relish the joy of passing deliberations by the Review Committee for Cancer Diseases, the company immediately convened a meeting to discuss countermeasures. Keytruda's benefit expansion to the lung cancer indication can once again fall through in the process of drug pricing negotiations with the Pharmaceutical Benefit Appraisal Committee or the National Health Insurance Service. How the reimbursement journey for Keytruda will progress after the Review Committee for Cancer Diseases handed over the baton to the next regulators, and whether the government and pharmaceutical company will be able to reach an agreement remains to be seen. An official from the Review Committee for Cancer Diseases said, “We cannot estimate the price cut that would be applied to both drugs based on the ‘visible’ listed price as it is not the actual price. However, the additional discount requested for Keytruda will be quite significant. Although the agenda passed deliberations by the Review Committee for Cancer Diseases, whether the drug will be reimbursed is still unclear.”
- Company
- Antibiotic sales are decreasing due to prolonged COVID-19
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Jul 21, 2021 05:51am
- The outpatient prescription market has also changed significantly as COVID-19 epidemic has been prolonged. The pharmaceutical market, which is mainly used for infectious diseases such as antibiotics, anti-septic drugs, and influenza (flu) treatments, has shrunk significantly. The flu treatment market has shrunk 99.9% in two years. According to UBIST on the 20th, the amount of outpatient prescriptions for Cephalosporin PO in the first half of last year was ￦87.7 billion, down 20.6% year-on-year. Compared to the first half of 2019, the amount of prescriptions decreased by 33.7% over two years. Cephalosporin is an antibiotic widely used in pneumonia, sore throat, tonsillitis and bronchitis. According to the amount of Cephalosporin prescribed on a quarterly basis, it fell 32.1% from ￦72.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019 to ￦49.2 billion in the fourth quarter of last year. The prescription amount of Cephalosporin in the first quarter of this year was ￦42.8 billion, down 32.8 % from a year earlier, and the prescription performance in the second quarter decreased 3.9%. As COVID-19 outbreak began in earnest, the market size of Cephalosporin has also decreased significantly and sales have decreased significantly until the first half of this year. It is analyzed that the antibiotic market has shrunk due to the prolonged COVID-19. Since the spread of COVID-19, sales of antibiotics have also decreased significantly as the flu outbreak has decreased due to strengthening personal hygiene management such as washing hands and wearing masks. Sales of major antibiotics have decreased significantly since the spread of COVID-19. The amount of prescription for Penicillin PO in the first half of last year was ￦46.8 billion, down 26.8% from a year earlier. Penicillin PO also decreased in size from the first half of last year when COVID-19 outbreak began in earnest. The prescription amount of Penicillin PO in the first half of last year was ￦63.9 billion, down 30.8% from a year earlier, and down 39.2% from a year earlier in the second half of last year. The amount of prescriptions in the first half of this year is only half that compared to ￦92.4 billion in the first half of 2019. Other antibiotics such as Macrolides also had similar circumstances. Macrolides and other prescriptions for the first half of the year were ￦37.9 billion, down 24.1% from a year earlier. It fell 41.3% compared to 2 years ago. In June of this year, the total amount of antitussive drugs was ￦24.8 billion, down 47.5% from ￦47.3 billion in the first half of last year. Compared to two years ago, it fell 59.0%. Since the spread of COVID-19, the amount of outpatient prescriptions for expectorants has decreased by one-third. Sales of antitussive drug (single) decreased by 62.8% from two years ago to ￦10 billion in first half of the year, while sales of antitussive drug's(combination) decreased by more than half from ￦33.6 billion in first half of 2019 to ￦14.8 billion in two years. In the first half of the year, the amount of outpatient prescriptions for Expectorants was ￦48.1 billion, down 32.9% from the same period last year. It has halved from ￦85.2 billion in the first half of 2019. As the number of flu patients decreased, the flu treatment market has virtually disappeared. In the first half of the year, the amount of prescription for flu treatment was only ￦14 million. It decreased 99.8% from ￦8.3 billion in the first half of last year, and the market size was only 0.1% compared to ￦14.4 billion in the first half of 2019.
