Lansoprazole+antacid combo awaits entry into market

will it be able to settle in the Korean market?

70 PPI+antacids already available in the market... new combo has the advantage of being cheaper than other PPIs

A new combination is awaiting entry into the Proton pump inhibitor (PPI)+ antacids combination market.

 

This time, the new entrant is a combination of lansoprazole and precipitated calcium carbonate.

 

Ever since Chong Kun Dang achieved outstanding results in the market, new combinations have been pouring out every year in the market.

 

With already over 70 products in the market, whether the newly released product may settle in the market is gaining attention.

 

According to industry sources on the 19th, the lansoprazole 30mg + precipitated calcium carbonate 600mg combination that was approved in Korea in January is expected to be listed for reimbursement in April.

 

6 companies including Guju Pharm, Myungmoon Pharm, Yu & Life Science, Hana Pharm, and Union Korea Pharm had received approval for related products.

 

The drugs are being manufactured by Yu & Life Science.

 

Four PPI ingredients are now available for use in combination with antacids - omeprazole, esomeprazole, rabeprazole, and lansoprazole.

 

The antacids used with the PPIs are sodium hydrogen carbonate, precipitated calcium carbonate, and magnesium hydroxide.

 

PPI+antacids are characterized by the shorter time required to take effect.

 

The drugs combine antacids with PPI, which is weak against stomach acid, to complement the shortcoming and provide a rapid effect.

 

Chong Kun Dang’s Eso Duo is a representative product in the market.

 

Based on UBIST, Eso Duo recorded outpatient prescription sales of KRW 16.3 billion last year, which was a 10% YoY decrease from the previous year.

 

This is analyzed to be due to the immense inflow of PPI+antacids in the market.

 

25 esomeprazole+ sodium hydrogen carbonate products are currently available in the market, and over 70 PPI+antacids are approved in the market.

 

In this context, attention is focused on whether the latecomer lansoprazole+precipitated calcium carbonate will be able to overcome the fierce competition and settle in the market.

 

However, in terms of price, the new entrant is expected to have competitivity over previous combination drugs due to its relatively cheaper price.

 

The combination drug awaiting entry contains the high-strength lansoprazole (30mg, ceiling price KRW 877), and the ingredient’s price is relatively lower than the high-strength esomeprazole (40mg, ceiling price KRW 1,078), or the high-strength rabeprazole (20mg, ceiling price KRW 1,069).

 

The price of the combination drugs is calculated based on the price of the single ingredient, the ceiling price for lansoprazole+precipitated calcium carbonate is expected to be lower than those set for other high-strength PPI combination drugs.

 

However, whether a lower price will lead to an increase in market prescriptions remain unknown.

 

There is also an analysis that the low price may instead become a burden on the profitability of the pharmaceutical companies.