According to the PDB data, the data of the top 50 drugs by sales to sample hospitals in China in 2019 have been fresh out recently, with the total sales of the top 50 reaching RMB76.414 billion and the minimum requirement for listing being RMB910 million.

Top 50 Drugs by Sales to Sample Hospitals in China in 2019

(Source:  PDB; their actual sales in China may be several times their sales to sample  hospitals)

From  the perspective of growth: like a succession of waves

10  varieties among the top 50 grew by more than 30%, separately, osimertinib  (989.40%), pegylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor  (PEG-rhG-CSF) (73.50%), bevacizumab (55.62%), trastuzumab (48.39%),  acetylcysteine (47.93%), recombinant human thrombopoietin (42.28%), paclitaxel  (40.86%), iodixanol (38.44%), tigecycline (36.86%), and butylphthalide  (30.49%).

Where,  osimertinib had the fastest growth, with the sales to sample hospitals in China  being RMB1.004 billion in 2019, growing by 989.40% year on year. The fast growth  of those varieties was thanks to the large sales increase after entering the  national reimbursement drug list (NRDL) of China, including osimertinib,  PEG-rhG-CSF, bevacizumab, and trastuzumab, etc., on the one hand; it was also  owing to the significant clinical advantages compared to the existing varieties,  including paclitaxel (albumin-bound), iodixanol, and tigecycline, etc., on the  other hand.

8  varieties among the top 50 had growth less than -10%, separately, entecavir  (-30.75%), rosuvastatin (-22.72%), clopidogrel (-20.99%), atorvastatin  (-18.33%), alprostadil (-18.26%), oxiracetam (-13.84%), flurbiprofen (-11.48%),  and lansoprazole (-10.20%); wherein, entecavir, rosuvastatin, clopidogrel,  atorvastatin, and flurbiprofen were varieties subject to procurement with target  quantity, and the large decline of their prices resulted in the decline of their  sales scale; alprostadil and oxiracetam were affected by the restricted adjuvant  drug policy.

From  the perspective of varieties: most were “old”

26  varieties among the global top 50 drugs by sales in 2019 were those marketed in  2010 and thereafter, accounting for more than a half, while, most of the top 50  drugs by sales to sample hospitals in China in 2019 were varieties marketed for  years, and the varieties marketed in the recent decade were not  many.

Wherein,  the number of Chinese-produced innovative drugs listed is small, with only  3SBio's Class 1 biological product recombinant human thrombopoietin listed. The  rest in the list were all imported original drugs or Chinese-produced generic  drugs. Overall, the pharmaceutical product structure is slightly “aging”, there  is great room for optimization, and the new superseding the old is expected to  speed up.

About  the Author:    

Caicai, a Master of Pharmacy from Shanghai Jiaotong University, used to work in the Institute of Science and Technical Information. Currently as a practitioner in the drug surveillance system, she is good at interpreting industry regulations, pharmaceutical research developments, etc.