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- 2026-04-13 23:21:32
- Company
- Who will head Novartis Korea after Joshi Venugopal?
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Aug 26, 2021 05:58am
- The president of Novartis Korea is expected to change soon. According to industry sources, Joshi Venugopal, who had led Novartis Korea since September 2018, has completed his term at the end of last month and made a promotional transfer to become the Global Head of New Products at Novartis headquarters. Novartis Korea’s Chief Finance Officer, Kim Skafte Mortensen, has been running the company as the acting head since Joshi Venugopal’s resignation. Novartis is currently seeking a new head for its Korean subsidiary that will officially be appointed in coming October. Regarding the new appointment, some industry officials are cautiously mentioning internal rumors of a Korean national being appointed. Although Novartis has been operating its oncology and pharmaceutical division independently as a separate division, with reimbursement discussions for the CAR-T therapy ‘Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel)’ and SMA treatment ‘Zolgensma’ in progress, who will be appointed the new head is attracting much attention. Since its establishment in 1997 and the first president Frans Hompe, the company had mostly appointed foreign heads to lead the Korean subsidiary, including Jean-Luc Scalabre in 1998, Peter Maag in 2003, Andrin Oswald in 2006, Peter Jager in 2008, Brian Gladsen in 2014, and most recently, Joshi Venugopal. The only Korean national that had been appointed until now was Hak-sun Moon in 2015.
- Policy
- Ppl willing to pay max ₩13.52 mil. for one-shot therap
- by Kim, Jung-Ju Aug 26, 2021 05:58am
- Over 75% of the public responded that high-priced innovative new drugs, or so-called ‘one-shot treatments,’ should be covered by the National Health Insurance. As to the maximum price the public was willing to pay for such treatments, the average price was ₩13.52 million, and the most amount of respondents - 33.3% - agreed to the price. The Korean Organization for Rare Disease recently announced the results of a public survey on reimbursing innovative new drugs, which was commissioned to Gallup and sponsored by National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee member Sun-woo Kang of the Democratic Party of Korea. The survey was conducted online on 1,018 adults between the age of 19 to 65. Results showed that the general public tended to agree that applying health insurance on high-priced innovative new drugs even if it goes against equity and agreed on bearing additional insurance premiums or taking measures such as reducing coverage of mild diseases, etc. In particular, 52.6% of the respondents, which was twice more than the 22% that responded that covering high-priced new drugs that treat a small number of patients with specific diseases may be against the principle of equity of the National Health Insurance System. However, 75.2% of the respondents also agreed that health insurance coverage should be applied to recently-approved innovative new drugs, which was overwhelmingly higher than the 6.6% who opposed coverage. Also, the consent rate in general was higher for taking measures necessary to ensure the financial stability of the health insurance while covering innovative new drugs. On the question of whether it would be okay to slightly increase one’s insurance premium to cover high-priced new drugs, the majority, 55.7% of the respondents agreed, which was three times higher than the 19% that opposed. 42.2% of the respondents agreed on partially reducing the medical level of coverage provided for mild disease and medical treatments, which is a lower rate of agreement than for other questions, but still higher than the 32% that opposed. In addition, 51.1% of the respondents answered that innovative new drugs that were developed recently and have not verified their efficacy and safety for over 10 years, in the long-term, should be reimbursed, a 3 times higher rate than the 17.7% that opposed. On supporting the treatment cost of severe rare diseases and cancer with a separate source other than the NHI finances to address the issue of equity, the majority -79.6% - of the respondents agreed, and 72.8% agreed that Korea’s healthcare policy should prioritize enhancing accessibility and coverage of new drugs with an innovative MOA and therapeutic effect despite its high price. In particular, the respondents were willing to pay on average of ₩13.52 million for rare disease drugs that require 100% copayment, and the respondent who was willing to pay the most said that he or she is willing to pay up to ₩2.5 billion. Among those who responded that they will pay, the most amount of respondents, 33.3%, responded that they will pay at most ‘between ₩1,000,000-5,000,000,’ followed by 23.4% that responded ‘between ₩100,000-500,000,’ and then 13.6% that responded ‘between ₩10,000,000-50,000,000’ Tae-young Lee, President of the Korean Organization for Rare Disease said, “The survey showed that not only the patients, but the general public also have consensus on enhancing coverage for high-priced innovative new drugs. The government should reflect public opinion and make efforts to promptly incorporate high-priced drugs into our healthcare system using various policy alternatives.” The KORD president also said the organization will work closely with the government to support such efforts.
- Company
- GSK will supply Fluarix Tetra through Kwang Dong
- by Aug 26, 2021 05:58am
- GSK has signed a contract with Kwang Dong, which has disrupted discussions between SK Bioscience and Fluarix Tetra. GSK announced on the 24th that it has advertised and signed a joint sales contract with the flu vaccine Fluarix Tetra as a new partner. Initially, GSK discussed co-sale of Fluarix Tetra with SK Bioscience, which decided not to produce the flu vaccine "SKY Cellflu" this year. It seemed that the contract in the form of SK Bioscience sales marketing and receiving inquiries from hospitals and clinics in the consumer counseling office was almost finalized, but it was not contracted. GSK signed a contract with Kwang Dong. Kwang Dong decided to supply only a small amount of Fluarix Tetra to some hospitals, but it also decided to take charge of all the supplies SK Bioscience was planning to take. Kwang Dong will be responsible for the sale of Fluarix Tetra in all areas, including internal medicine, family medicine, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics and gynecology. GSK is expected to strengthen its expertise in distribution of influenza vaccines through the signing of this partnership. Yoon Je-young, brand manager of GSK's vaccine marketing department, said, "I think this contract will serve as an opportunity for Fluarix Tetra to be supplied and distributed more appropriately to the market."
- Policy
- Drugs caught in rebates for 2 years can be replaced by fines
- by Kim, Jung-Ju Aug 26, 2021 05:58am
- Among the insurance drugs caught as rebates, drugs that have been claimed for two consecutive years based on the date of disposal are expected to be replaced by fines. It belongs to cases that may cause inconvenience in patient care, not to harm public welfare. In the case of fines on these drugs, the rate will be increased by varying the upper limit of imposition according to the third and fourth violations. The MOHW announced a partial revision of the Enforcement Decree of the National Health Insurance Act and launched an opinion inquiry. The effective date is 9 December. According to the amendment, the reason for the suspension of rebate drug benefits could first be replaced by fines if it could cause inconvenience to right patients, i.e. when it is expected to interfere with public welfare. The reason is "drugs that were charged with medical care benefits in the year in which the disposal date belongs and the previous year." The rate of fines on the drug was also raised and set. Based on the existing cap amount, the rate of imposition will be set at 3.3 times for the third violation and 3.5 times for the fourth violation or higher. The MOHW has decided to conduct the amendment on December 9th if there is nothing special after consulting opinions by October 5th
- Company
- MSD’s Keytruda becomes the 'symbol' of cancer immunotherapy
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Aug 25, 2021 05:57am
- Pic. of Keytruda “Reinforcing the body’s immunity to attack cancer cells” By some, the idea was regarded improbable. Not many were convinced that immunotherapy would rise to the position it is in now. Even without reference to the famous story of how the former US president Jimmy Carter cured melanoma with immunotherapy, cancer immunotherapy has become an important pillar in the management of cancer disease nowadays. Among the many drugs introduced, MSD’s (Merck in the US) ‘Keytruda (pembrolizumab)’ has risen to become the symbol of ‘cancer immunotherapy.’ The drug, which was first approved in March 2015 as a treatment for melanoma, is currently approved for 18 indications in 14 cancer types in Korea. One thing to note is that Keytruda is yet far from reaching its turning point. ◆A neglected substance becomes an all-around anticancer drug Keytruda’s history goes all the way back to 2003. Keytruda was developed as a humanized antibody by Organon, a Dutch pharmaceutical Company. In 2007, Organon was acquired by Schering Plough, and the substance was approved for clinical trials by the FDA in December 2012. In 2014, only 3 years after trial approval, the company submitted a New Drug Application to the FDA and received approval as a treatment for melanoma in September of the same year. This was how Keytruda’s journey began. One interesting aspect to note is that MSD was not a prominent player in the field of oncology. The company, whose key areas focused on chronic disease, women’s disease, and vaccines, realized the potential of Keytruda and established a business division for the single drug. MSD’s insight and drive in making the decision to invest in a substance that was neglected by the initial developer is also one key strength of the company to note. After the initial melanoma indication, Keytruda was approved as a second-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer in 2016, an area in fierce competition. Then, the drug became the first among cancer immunotherapies to receive approval as a first-line treatment for Stage 4 metastatic NSCLC. Afterward, by adding the combination therapy option to its treatment regiment, the drug’s indication was expanded from patients with high PD-L1 expression to all patients to position itself as the standard treatment option for all patients with metastatic NSCLC. Also, Keytruda transformed the concept of cancer treatment by becoming the first to be approved for ‘tumor agnostic' use in all cancer types based on specific genetic features regardless of the initial cancer site. In Korea, the drug was approved as a second-line treatment for 7 types of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) solid tumors, and more recently, as a first-line treatment for metastatic MSI-H/dMMR colorectal cancer. Keytruda ◆MSD Reaps rewards for its foresight… No.1 in sales in both Korea and the global market The company reaped rewards from its aggressive investment. Keytruda recorded No.1 in global sales in 2020, earning $14.38 billion (₩16.8 trillion as of August 18th, 2021). The same went for Korea as well. According to IQVIA, Keytruda recorded ₩155.7 billion in the domestic pharmaceutical market in 2020 to rank first among all pharmaceuticals in sales and has maintained the lead in the first half of this year. In the early years of its release, in 2016 and 2017, Keytruda sold around ₩10 billion’s worth; however, its sales hit ₩70 billion in 2018. The upsurge was driven by its reimbursement approval as second-line treatment for NSCLC in August 2017. As previously mentioned, much potential remains for Keytruda. MSD is conducting more than 1,400 global clinical trials focusing on Keytruda. Korea’s contribution is also quite significant in the area. Around 120 of the global anticancer therapy trials being led by MSD are being conducted in Korea and consist of around 88% of all trials conducted by MSD Korea. Based on the number of participating patients, Korea has ranked 1st among Asia-Pacific countries and 4th in global. ◆The remaining challenge...a rough ride to reimbursement extension However, obstacles do exist in Keytruda’s winning strides as well. Reimbursement is an issue as the insurance benefit is only approved for two indications, as second-line treatment for melanoma and lung cancer. The drug was not able to extend its scope of reimbursement since September 2017. In MSD’s discussions with the health authorities to reimburse Keytruda as second-line treatment for lung cancer, its competitor, the ‘all-comer’ drug ‘Opdivo (nivolumab),’ took away a partial win by strategically narrowing its scope of reimbursement, however, Opdivo also had not seen much progress in expanding its reimbursement ever since. The discussion for Keytruda’s reimbursement as first-line treatment in NSCLC has been ongoing for around 4 years now. It took 9 attempts for the agenda to pass the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service’s Cancer Disease Review Committee (CDRC) meeting, however, the committee still requested further revisions to be made to the cost-sharing plan. With the burden of re-revisions in mind, MSD is waiting for the agenda to be put up for deliberation by the Drug Reimbursement Evaluation Committee. With the negotiations for contract renewal of the Risk-sharing Agreement (RSA) also overlapping, Keytruda is now at its highest inflection point since its entry into the Korean market. Due to its versatility, expanding the scope of reimbursement for Keytruda may indeed result in the creation of a budget-gobbling monster. In every field, the industry always moves faster than the system. Whether Keytruda will be able to continue making progress in the sea of unprecedented, advanced new drugs that are being introduced remains to be seen.
- Policy
- Will the voluntary recovery of AZBT be expanded?
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Aug 25, 2021 05:57am
- More and more drugs are voluntarily recovered due to the excessive detection of impurities AZBT(Azido Methyl Bipheny Ttetrazole). On the 6th, the recovery of items produced before 2021 among three items containing Irvesartan (Rovelito, CoAprovel, and Arovel) was decided, and AZBT was also detected in a Valsartan compound produced by a domestic pharmaceutical company. The results of the AZBT detection test for the finished product containing Sartan shall be submitted to the MFDS by the end of this month. The voluntary recovery of AZBT-exceeded pharmaceutical companies will continue. According to an industry on the 24th, AZBT detection exceeded the standard and related items began to voluntarily recover from Valsartan-Rosuvastatin, which is produced by a domestic pharmaceutical company. AZBT is a mutation-causing substance that is estimated to occur in response to the synthesis process of tartan, a hypertension drug. In late May (Health Canada recalled Sartan drug with AZBT) and drug regulators around the world began investigating it. In early June, the MFDS said, after ordering AZBT impurity evaluation and test results from medicines containing Losartan, Valsartan, and Irvesartan, it was ordered to submit AZBT test results for all finished product manufacturing numbers by the 31st of this month. On the 6th of this month, companies with three items (Rovelito, CoAprovel, and Aprovel) containing Irvesartan manufactured before 2021 voluntarily recovered. Sanofi, which supplied Irbesartan, limited the products before 2021, saying that AZBT is managed below the acceptable limit in the deployment of products produced after January 2021. However, combination of Valsartan & Rosuvastatin, which exceeded the AZBT acceptance standard, is known to be the target of recovery regardless of lot numbers and expiration date. Industries expect that pharmaceutical companies that have received test results that they exceeded the AZBT standard will voluntarily recover. An official of a small and medium-sized pharmaceutical company said, "As the MFDS ordered companies to conduct their own tests, the pharmaceutical company that obtained the test results first will voluntarily collect items exceeding AZBT." "As the results of the recent test are coming out, we expect to decide on the recovery," he said. In particular, as Sartan products are distributed through consignment production, items with the same manufacturer are likely to be connected to recovery at the same time. The MFDS is asking pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily investigate the carcinogen NDMA (Nitrosodimethylamine) detected in Valsartan or Ranitidine in the past, so it is not expected that all items will be recovered or banned from sale. Instead, it is expected that items that exceed the impurity standard will be voluntarily recovered, and only normal items will be released after the verification process.
- Policy
- Opdivo's benefit extends for kidney cancer & parietal cancer
- by Lee, Hye-Kyung Aug 25, 2021 05:57am
- As domestic No. 1 immuno-cancer drug "Opdivo (Nivolumb)" renewed its contract with RSA, the benefit standard has also been expanded. The HIRA will issue a "proposal to revise the announcement of drugs prescribed and dispensed to cancer patients" and will inquire about their opinions by the 25th. If there is no disagreement, the benefit will be applied from the 1st of next month after the Health Insurance Policy Review Committee's resolution this week. According to Opdivo-related standards, Yervoy (Ipilimumab) and combined therapy were recognized in the first stage of kidney cancer, and it was recognized in the second or more solo therapy for parietal cancer and the third or more Hodgkin lymphoma. Yervoy 50mg and Yervoy 200mg was licensed as a "medium- or high-risk, progressive neocarcinoma treatment with Optdivo and combined therapy," which has no previous treatment experience. As a result of the review of benefit criteria for Opdivo and Yervoy combination therapy, NCCN guidelines recommend preferred category 1 for primary treatment of moderate or high-risk transparent cell carcinoma, and 'I, A' for ESMO guidelines. The benefit standard was set by limiting the tissue type of kidney cancer to patients with moderate or high-risk IMDC risk classification to clear cell carcinoma. Based on Opdivo's criteria for treatment of parietal cell carcinoma, the NCCN guidelines recommend "second-line and subsequent therapy" as "category 1" for recurrent, non-abstructive or metastatic cancers during or after platinum-based chemotherapy. However, if the expression rate of PD-L1 is less than 1% in open-label clinical trials, the standard was set only when the expression rate of PD-L1 was 1% or higher considering the median value of the entire survival period (mOS 5.7 months vs. 5.8 months) similar to alternative therapy. HSCT is also recognized for typical Hodgkin lymphoma patients who have recurred or progressed with Brentuximab Vedotin. Children were also included in the list, considering the nature of Hodgkin's lymphoma disease and the addition of permission for children in excluded countries. According to the HIRA's review, premenopausal patients intentionally performed ovarian resection to induce menopause for use in line with the current benefit criteria, or the expected additional financial requirements were not significant.
- Opinion
- [Reporter's view] Controversy over α-GPC
- by Lee, Hye-Kyung Aug 25, 2021 05:57am
- Negotiations on the return of benefits of the 'Choline alfoscerate' legislation, which was the subject of the revaluation project of the listed drugs, have been concluded. However, the controversy over the return rate has not ended. The NHIS negotiated with 58 pharmaceutical companies that owned 123 Choline alfoscerate on August 10. It announced that it has agreed with 44 pharmaceutical companies on a 20% return rate. Chong Kun Dang, which had been conducting PVA in the third quarter of this year, also finished negotiations. There are about 10 pharmaceutical companies that have not agreed. Negotiations on the repatriation of Choline alfoscerate lasted about eight months from December 14 to August 10. In the process, the timing of recovery was changed from "the day of submission of a clinical trial to the MFDS" to "the day when the MFDS approved the clinical trial," and the amount of recovery also fell from "full 100%" to "20%." The controversy erupted when three pharmaceutical companies that had already signed a 100% return rate in PVA negotiations before the benefit revaluation Choline alfoscerate filed complaints with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission for equity reasons. Negotiation about Choline alfoscerate is the first conditional recovery negotiation in conjunction with the MFDS' clinical reassessment. However, all the NHIS negotiations in accordance with the safety and validity verification and quality control requirements have a redemption clause related to revaluation. This is a revised guideline after the 2019 Lipiodol crisis. In the second quarter of last year's PVA negotiations, Arlico, Hana and Kyongbo agreed that if the authorization for revaluation is dropped, the pharmaceutical company should return the full claim from the date of clinical testing to the NHIS. Anti‑Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has conveyed to health authorities that the NHIS and the three pharmaceutical companies should maintain a contract following a clinical trial revaluation, but set a 100% return rate equal to 20%. Anti‑Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's recommendations are not compulsory. However, it is unlikely to raise the rate again, as the rate of return of Choline alfoscerate, which is undergoing simultaneous re-evaluation and clinical re-evaluation, has been agreed to 20% with an eight-month negotiation process. The NHIS should set out what guidelines to maintain in future drug price negotiations in accordance with AAnti‑Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's recommendations. Through revaluation, it is necessary to clarify whether there is a possibility of maintaining the existing "health insurance claim in full" or changing it to 20% agreed with pharmaceutical companies.
- Policy
- Janssen’s acetaminophen tablets may replace Tylenol
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Aug 24, 2021 06:06am
- Janssen Korea, which locally manufactures and sells Tylenol in Korea, has received import authorization for its product. The company is presumed to be making the move to secure alternatives in advance before stopping the operation of its Hyangnam plan at the end of this year. On the 23rd, the Ministry of Food and Drug safety approved Janssen’s import of acetaminophen tablets that contain the antipyretic analgesic ingredient, ‘acetaminophen.’ The product is identical in ingredient, strength, and formulation to the Tylenol 500mg tablets that are locally made by Janssen. With the surge in demand for Tylenol 500mg as a means to relieve the side effects of COVID-19 vaccinations, the drug has made the highest sales performance among all OTC drugs. A large amount of the Tylenol tablets that are currently in the market are known to be stockpiled items that were produced in preparation for the shutdown of Janssen's Hyangnam plant. With the amount in the market being rapidly depleted, the amount left in stock after the shutdown of the Hyangnam plant may be less than expected. This was why a new product from a new manufacturing facility had to be secured in advance for import. Jannsen’s acetaminophen tablets that will be imported will be those that are manufactured in Indonesia and are expected to replace the Tylenol 500mg tablets that are being manufactured in the company’s Hyangnam facility. One thing to note is that the company did not use the brand name ‘Tylenol,’ but rather listed its generic name in the import authorization. This is noteworthy as pharmacies in Korea had trouble securing Tylenol after the Korean authorities had mentioned the specific brand name as a treatment for COVID-19 vaccine’s side effects. However, this may only be due to the fact that Janssen’s marketing authorization for the brand name in Korea is still in place. The industry expects that the company will consider changing the generic name authorization to the brand name after the company withdraws its license for the Hyangnam plant's Tylenol. The dominant opinion is that it will not be easy for the company to give up the name because of the high brand recognition. As such, Janssen has been preparing alternative products in preparation for the Hyangnam plant shutdown. Janssen’s ‘Ultracet Set Tab,’ which is a combination of acetaminophen and tramadol hydrochloride, has also been granted import authorization. Technology transfer for the extended-release formulation of the Ultracet brand has been made to a domestic pharmaceutical company, Handok. As there are many products in the Tylenol brand, these are also expected to undergo technology transfers or be switched to imports. Therefore, 'Tylenol' manufactured from Janssen's Hyangnam plant will not be seen in the market from next year. Established in 1983, Janssen’s Hyangnam plant was one of the few manufacturing bases established by multinational pharmaceutical companies. Hwanin Pharmaceutical acquired the facility in November last year at 46 billion won, and Janssen will be withdrawing its plant that had been in operation for 38 years.
- Company
- Keytruda monopolizes the domestic pharmaceutical market
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Aug 24, 2021 06:06am
- MSD's immuno-cancer drug Keytruda has taken the lead in the domestic pharmaceutical market for the sixth consecutive period since the first quarter of last year. New drugs recently released by domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies such as Perjeta, Prolia, and K-CAB are growing. According to IQVIA, a pharmaceutical research firm on the 23rd, Keytruda recorded the highest sales of ₩93.3 billion in the first half of last year. It is up 29.% from the same period last year. Keytruda saw its sales rise 27.0% year-on-year to ₩44.1 billion in the first quarter, and continued its growth rate of 31.0% with sales of ₩49.2 billion in the second quarter. Keytruda has topped the list for the sixth consecutive quarter since its first quarterly sales of ₩34.7 billion in the first quarter of last year. Keytruda, which was released in Korea in 2015, is an immune checkpoint inhibitor that inhibits 'PD-1' protein on the surface of immune cell T cells to treat cancer through activation of immune cells. It is showing outstanding performance in more than 30 cancer species including lung, parietal, gastric, and cervical cancer. Keytruda's quarterly sales remained around ₩3 billion shortly after its release, but sales began to rise at a rapid pace since August 2017 when insurance benefits were applied as a secondary treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. Keytruda surpassed ₩10 billion in sales in the first quarter of 2018 and ₩30 billion in sales in the second quarter of 2019. In the first quarter of last year, Lipitor, which had never missed the lead in quarterly sales since the fourth quarter of 2015, was ranked No. 1 overall. In the second quarter, Keytruda had a sales gap of more than ₩10 billion with the second-largest Lippitor (₩38.3 billion). The gap with Avastin (₩30.2 billion) is close to ₩20 billion. Sales of new drugs recently released by domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies such as Perjeta, Prolia, and K-CAB have risen sharply. Roche's Perjeta saw its first-half sales rise 29.6% year-on-year to ₩45 billion. Perjeta is a metastatic or localized HER2-positive breast cancer patient who has never received HER2 targeted chemotherapy or chemotherapy. It is a drug used in combination with Trastuzumab or Docetaxel. Perjeta is a primary treatment for HER2-positive metastatic or intemperable breast cancer patients who have never received anti-HER2 treatment in 2017, and sales also surged as Trastuzumab and combination therapy became the standard for preoperative supplementary therapy in May 2019. Perjeta ranked seventh overall in the second quarter, with sales rising 34.7% year-on-year to ₩23.6 billion. Amgen's Prolia ranked ninth overall, with sales rising 21.6% year-on-year to ₩42.4 billion in the first half. Prolia, which was released in Korea in November 2016, is a biomedicine osteoporosis treatment that targets protein RANKL, which is essential for the formation, activation and survival of bone-destroying skeletal cells. Prolia's sales have exploded since April 2019 as insurance benefits have been recognized in primary treatment therapy. Chong Kun Dang is jointly selling Prolia with Amzen. HK inno.N's new drug K-Cap, an anti-orgel drug, was the only one among the top 10 developed drugs in Korea, with sales rising 57.4% year-on-year to ₩41.7 billion in the first half. K-CAB, which was released in March 2019, is an anti- ulcer drug of the potassium competitive gastric acid secretion inhibitor (P-CAB) family of Tegoprazan. It is a new mechanism for inhibiting gastric acid secretion by competitively combining proton pumps and potassium ions located in the final stage of acid secretion in stomach wall cells. K-CAB secured an indication of gastrointestinal reflux disease as its first indication, and added gastrointestinal ulcer treatment adaptation in July of the same year, showing more sales growth. Sanofi's anti-thrombotic drug Plavix increased sales by 21.3% year-on-year to ₩46.8 billion in the first half of the year. Patent of Plavix expired in 2007 and more than 100 generics were released. It has been more than 10 years since the patent expired and is showing rather steep growth even though it competes with more than 100 generics.
