Price of Pristiq original and IMDs cut with generic release

Original and salt-modified versions had coexisted in the market for 4 years while maintaining their price

Korea Pharma breaks the structure…reduced performance of the existing drugs is inevitable

Pfizer

The release of generic versions of Pfizer's antidepressant ‘Pristiq ER Tab,’ has hit not only the sales of the original drug but also the salt-modified version.

 

Korea Pharma launched the first generic version of Pristiq in Korea last month, and the release has also affected the salt-modified drug that was released 4 years ago.

 

According to industry sources on the 9th, the upper insurance price limit of the original Pristiq ER Tab and the salt-modified drug received ex officio adjustments upon the entry of the generic version.

 

The insurance price of the items will remain at 70% of the maximum price for 1 year but then be reduced to 53.55% like the generic’s price.

 

Desvenlafaxine is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), which is characterized by its low risk of drug interactions and a low risk of side effects such as hypertension and sexual dysfunction.

 

Due to such advantages, the drug has become a popular choice in the antidepressant market.

 

According to IQVIA sales, the original Pristiq generated sales of KRW 7.2 billion last year.

 

With the listing of the generic drug, its upper insurance price limit will be reduced to 70% from September.

 

As a result, the price of Pristiq 50mg ER Tab will be reduced from KRW 1,002 to KRW 702, and Pristiq 100mg ER Tab will be adjusted to KRW 873.

 

This was an ex officio adjustment of the upper limit upon the reimbursement listing of Korea Pharma’s generic drug.

 

The upper limit of the original drug is adjusted to 53.55% of the initial price when a product with the same route of administration, ingredients, and dosage form is introduced for the first time, but then is set at 70% of the original price for one year.

 

In addition to the ‘Pharma Desvenlafaxine ER Tab 100mg’ that Korea Pharma received reimbursement listing last month, the company has listed ‘Pharma Desvenlafaxine ER Tab 50mg’ with reimbursement this month.

 

Both are generic drugs that contain the same active ingredient (desvenlafaxine succinate monohydrate) as Pristiq.

 

The generic listing also affected the price of salt-modified versions of the drug that were released 4 years ago.

 

The price of Whan In Pharm (desvenlafaxine), Myeongin Pharm, Hallim Pharmaceutical, and Nexpharm Korea (desvenlafaxine benzoate) was also reduced to 70% of the initial price.

 

This is because when the price of the development target product (original Pristiq ER Tab) is adjusted, the price of the salt-modified drugs is also reduced together.

 

No price adjustments had been made until now as only salt-modified versions with different ingredient names were listed, with no generic versions.

 

The price of the salt-modified versions was set at 90% of the target product's price upon initial listing.

 

However, generic products were introduced 4 years after the launch of the salt-modified drugs, rendering price adjustments of all the previously introduced drugs inevitable.

 

The salt-modified drugs were developed to avoid patent infringement and introduced to the market in 2020.

 

The patent for the original Pristiq ER Tab expired in October 2022.

 

The price of the original and the salt-modified versions will be reduced to 53.55% after 1 year.

 

An industry official said, “With the launch of the generic, the 4-year coexistence between the original and the salt-modified drug has come to an end.

 

Due to the price cut, sales of the existing drugs will inevitably decline.”