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Swiss gains in Japan’s pharma market

Swiss gains in Japan’s pharma market

Tokyo (SCCIJ) – Two Swiss pharmaceutical giants, both headquartered in Basel, have registered relevant gains in the vast Japanese market. The personalized cancer drug of Roche received approval, with Japan becoming the first country to recognize it. Also, two diabetes treatments of Novartis will be promoted and sold in Japan with a new partner. Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma signed a corresponding agreement.

Innovative cancer treatment

Pharmaceutical experts consider Japan’s official blessing of the Roche drug, Rozlytrek, as a milestone for this new class of cancer drugs. A doctor will identify patients for treatment via genetic profiling. This approach is innovative because so far, doctors treat patients on the location of the tumor in their bodies. Rozlytrek uses a rare genetic anomaly called NTRK fusions as an entryway for cancer treatment. The anomaly causes growth in a broad range of tumors that can appear throughout the body. A biomarker test determines whether Rozlytrek will be effective for a variety of hard-to-treat solid tumor types, including pancreatic, thyroid, salivary gland, breast, colorectal, and lung. In the medical language of pharmaceutical companies, Rozlytrek is termed a tumor-agnostic medicine for adult and pediatric patients with NTRK fusion-positive advanced recurrent solid tumors. The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare in Japan based its approval mainly on data from a pivotal clinical study.

Swiss gains in Japan’s pharma market

Working in the chemistry laboratory in Building 92, Roche Basel

“New chapter in healthcare”

According to its results, Rozlytrek shrank cancerous tissue in more than half of people with NTRK fusion-positive solid tumors, across ten different types. Importantly, Rozlytrek also decreased tumors that had spread to the brain in more than half of people. Rozlytrek is also undergoing a review in Japan for the treatment of fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer.
“The approval of Rozlytrek represents a new chapter in personalized healthcare, applying advanced diagnostics to deliver precision medicines that target cancers based on their molecular drivers,” said Sandra Horning, MD, Roche’s Chief Medical Officer. “Roche is at the forefront of personalized medicine with this novel treatment approach.”

Novartis diabetes drugs in Japan

Swiss gains in Japan’s pharma market

Novartis Campus in Basel

The second Swiss pharma gain in Japan involves a co-promotion and sales collaboration agreement between Sumitomo Dainippon and Novartis related to the type 2 diabetes drug Equa and the combination agent EquMet, both of which are currently indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in Japan. The combined sales of the two drugs were approximately 50 billion yen in fiscal 2018. Sumitomo Dainippon will make upfront payment under the terms of the agreement. Starting from July 1, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma will jointly carry out activities to promote Equa and EquMet to healthcare professionals in Japan, in concert with Novartis Japan. Additionally, from November 1, 2019, while the two companies will continue co-promotion, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma will become the sole distributor of Equa and EquMet, receiving supplies of both products from Novartis Japan. Sumitomo Dainippon positions diabetes as one of its focus areas in the Japanese market, and currently commercializes several drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, each with different mechanisms of action. Through the agreement with Novartis, Equa and EquMet can now be added to its lineup, helping Sumitomo Dainippon strive to contribute to the treatment of a higher number of diabetes patients in Japan.

Text: SCCIJ based on or with material of Roche, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma

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