Gilead Sciences’ Viread recorded the highest prescription sales in Korea, raking in 165.9 billion won ($155.2 million) in 2017, while therapies developed by Korean pharmaceuticals saw a year-on-year jump in prescription sales, according to UBIST.

The top five drugs were all developed by multinational pharmaceutical companies, the data showed.

Source: UBIST

Following the hepatitis B drug was Pfizer’s cholesterol drug Lipitor with 156.6 billion won ($146.5 million) in annual prescription sales, followed by Boehringer-Ingelheim’s hypertension treatment Twynsta, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s hepatitis B therapy Baraclude, and AstraZeneca's cholesterol drug Crestor.

Excluding Viread, the four drugs saw an annual decline in prescription sales with Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Baraclude marking a 24 percent drop and Boehringer’s Twynsta recording a near 17 percent fall.

In sixth place came Handok’s Plavix, used to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, with prescription sales of 69.3 billion won. Following were MSD’s Janumet for type 2 diabetes, Astellas’ Harnal for benign prostatic hyperplasia, Hanmi’s Amosartan for hypertension, and Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s Aricept for Alzheimer’s.

Gilead Sciences’ hepatitis B drug recorded the highest prescription sales in Korea last year with $155.2 million, according to UBIST data.

According to disease type, therapies for hepatitis B, cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes marked the highest prescription sales last year.

Meanwhile, therapies from Korean pharmaceuticals climbed the ranks and accounted for 13 out of the 30 drugs named by UBIST. Most domestically developed drugs saw a year-on-year increase in prescription sales while the majority of MNC-developed therapies saw a decline.

Notably, two cognitive-enhancement drugs – Chong Kun Dang’s Gliatilin and Daewoong’s Gliatamin – marked high increases in prescription sales. Chong Kun Dang and Daewoong have been engaged in a fierce, bitter fight to establish dominance in a growing dementia therapy market.

■Related: Chong Kun Dang, Daewoong continue to fight over Gliatilin reference listed drug

According to the data, Daewoong’s Gliatamin sold more with 62.3 billion won and marked a 37 percent increase from last year. Although Chong Kun Dang’s Gliatilin came in second to Daewoong’s drug, it boasted a 68 percent year-on-year increase.

Other notable prescription sale increases came from LG Chem’s Zemimet from 28.7 billion won in 2016 to 44.7 billion won in 2017 and Hanmi’s Rosuzet from 23.4 billion won to 38.6 billion, indicating a 64 percent jump.

yjc@docdocdoc.co.kr

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