CKD and Daewoong Bio enter donepezil-memantine combo market

Chong Kun Dang and Daewoong Bio enter the donepezil-memantine combination therapy market

Daewoong Bio starts copromotion with Yungjin Pharm…starts selling ‘Demenduo’ this month

Chong Kun Dang receives a licensed transfer from Korea Arlico Pharm... will join the ‘Neuropezil M' market in April...

Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical and Daewoong Bio will enter the donepezil-memantine combination drug market that was launched this month.

 

Although Chong Kun Dang and Daewoong Bio’s products were not included in the initial list of approved products, the companies will join the market in the form of a license transfer and co-promotion agreement.

 

As both companies own the No.

 

1 and No.

 

2 products choline alfoscerate products in Korea -Chong Kun Dang Gliatirin and Gliatamin – which are brain function enhancers, their entry into the donepezil-memantine combination market is expected to increase the scale of product performance more than expected.

 

According to industry sources on the 5th, Chong Kun Dang received permission from Korea Arlico Pharm to transfer the license for its donepezil-memantine combination drug and registered it with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in January.

 

Chong Kun Dang Neuropezil M 10/20mg is the main product.

 

The transfer of the license delayed the reimbursement listing process for the drug, which resulted in a later launch date than other pharmaceutical companies.

 

This month, 7 donepezil-memantine combination drugs - Hyundai Pharm’s DM Duo Tab, Yungjin Pharm’s Demenduo Tab, Bukwang Pharm’s Ariplus Tab, Ildong Pharm’s Memansept Tab, Whanin Pharm’s Domentia Tab, Hutecs Korea Pharmaceutical’s Altsucomp Tab, Korean Drug’s Neurocept Duo Tab – were released to the market.

 

Chong Kun Dang plans to release its product in April.

 

Daewoong Bio will start selling Demenduo through a copromotion agreement with Yungjin Pharm starting this month.

 

The donepezil-memantine combination was initially approved in the United States in 2014 and was then approved in Spain, Greece, and Croatia since, but this is the first time the combination was approved in Korea.

 

The domestic patent holder is Hyundai Pharm, which has demonstrated equivalence and toxicity safety through comparative tests of donepezil and memantine administered alone and in combination.

 

In Korea, it is used as an alternative to donepezil and memantine combination therapy for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease.

 

The entry of Chong Kun Dang and Daewoong Bio in this dementia combination drug market is expected to heat sales promotion activities.

 

The two companies have an established nationwide distribution network for geriatric drugs through their choline alfoscerate-based drugs.

 

Last year, according to UBIST, Chong Kun Dang’s Gliatirin recorded KRW 121.3 billion in outpatient prescription sales, while Daewoong Bio’s Gliatamin recorded KRW 159.7 billion, continuing their popularity.

 

However, choline alfoscerate’s reimbursement standard was reduced through a re-evaluation, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is also conducting a clinical re-evaluation on its efficacy, so both companies had to look for products that can replace choline alfoscerate.

 

Although the use of this dementia combination drug and the brain function enhancer choline alfoscerate are different, they are mostly used by the elderly, so it is analyzed that if the companies utilize their established distributor base, this may increase the companies’ short-term performance.

 

Donepezil and memantine are the most widely used ingredients in the dementia drug market.

 

Donepezil's original drug Aricept recorded KRW 95.8 billion in outpatient prescriptions last year, while memantine's original drug Ebixa recorded KRW 19 billion, with the combined prescription value of the two drugs exceeding KRW 100 billion.

 

However, some analysts say that their expected market size is limited because the prescription rate of the combination of the two ingredients is smaller than that of each single ingredient.

 

Interest is gathering as to whether the new dementia combination drug market, which has been joined by Chong Kun Dang and Daewoong Bio, which are strong players in the geriatric drug market, will see success in Korea.