GSK Dovato, triple-digit growth… Expecting a paradigm shift with Cabenuva
Biktarvy (Gilead Sciences) continues to dominate the HIV treatment market.
According to Gilead Sciences’ semi-annual report, Biktarvy’s sales jumped 24.3% YoY to more than 2.3 trillion won, and its half-year sales soared to 4.4 trillion won (as of August 11th).
Gilead Sciences’ sales of HIV drugs are concentrated on Biktarvy. Among the major Gilead HIV treatments, Biktarvy is the only product that saw sales increase in the first half compared to the same period last year.
In particular, TDF-based treatments are losing ground. Truvada, once the largest drug in the HIV drugs market, has seen its sales shrink by one-third over the past year.
Its quarterly sales have decreased to 125 billion won, and if the current trend continues, it is likely to drop below the 100 billion won mark soon. Already, the quarterly sales of other TDF-based treatments have fallen below the 100 billion won mark.
TAF-based HIV drugs have also been failing to hold their position since the advent of Biktarvy. Although Genvoya (Gilead Sciences) was the largest drug in the HIV treatment market before Biktarvy appeared, the gap with Triumeq (GSK) has narrowed to 50 to 60 billion won as the sales volume in the first quarter decreased to around 800 billion won.
For GSK, Dovato is gaining ground. While the sales of Triumeq and Tivicay decreased YoY, Dovato recorded triple-digit growth.
However, as Triumeq and Tivicay still maintain quarterly sales of 600~700 billion won, and Dovato’s sales are only half that level, it seems difficult to become a competitor to Biktarvy.
Cabenuva, which is evaluated as a game changer in the market as the first once-a-month HIV therapy, has yet to significantly impact the market, with sales of 5.8 billion won in the second quarter and 3.5 billion won in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, in the battle between Gilead, with Biktarvy, and GSK, which tries to change the game with Cabenuva and Dovato, Prezista and Edurant (JNJ), and Isentress (MSD) remained at the same level as last year.
