The quarterly revenue from the combined therapy of Yuhans' new non-small cell lung cancer drug Lazcluze, marketed as Leclaza in Korea, surpassed $300 million (400 billion won) for the first time. With the increasing prescription trend of Lazcluze confirmed, Yuhans' earnings are expected to continue growing.
According to Johnson & Johnson's Q3 earnings report released on the 14th, global revenue from the combined therapy of Lazcluze and J&J's targeted anticancer drug 'Librivant' (generic name: amivantamab) reached $320 million (430 billion won) in Q3, a 62.3% increase compared to the same period last year. It increased by 10.7% from the previous quarter ($289 million), surpassing the $300 million quarterly revenue mark for the first time.
By region, U.S. Q3 revenue was $210 million (approximately 270 billion won), up 47.9% year-on-year. Revenue from regions outside the U.S. surged 94.5% to $119 million (approximately 160 billion won).
On a cumulative basis for Q3, global revenue from the combined therapy was $866 million (1.16 trillion won), a 67.4% increase compared to the same period last year. Looking only at regions outside the U.S., cumulative revenue reached $300 million, with a year-on-year growth rate of 130.8%.
This is analyzed as being due to factors such as an increase in countries approving the combined therapy, approval of the subcutaneous (SC) formulation of Librivant, inclusion as a "preferred regimen" for non-small cell lung cancer treatment in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, and simplification of insurance claims following the application of the 'J-code' to the SC formulation in the U.S.
Accordingly, Yuhans' royalty (regular technical fee) income is also expected to continue increasing. An industry official stated, "It has been proven by the numbers that the combined therapy of Lazcluze and Librivant is rapidly expanding its share in the global first-line treatment market for non-small cell lung cancer, including the U.S." and added, "The significance is further growing as a case of commercial success for a domestically produced anticancer new drug, alongside the continuous increase in Yuhans' royalty income due to expanded global prescriptions."
Lee Ji-won, a researcher at Heungkuk Securities, said, "While the foundation for expanding global prescriptions has been largely laid through the inclusion of the combined therapy as a first-line recommended regimen for EGFR-mutant advanced non-small cell lung cancer (EGFRm NSCLC) in NCCN guidelines and the assignment of the J-code to the SC formulation last July, the market is still paying great attention to the update on the median overall survival (mOS) from the Mariposa clinical trial and the potential for expanded Lazcluze royalty income resulting from it."
She said, "If the expected overall survival (OS) of Mariposa is significantly higher compared to competing drugs, there is a high possibility that future increases in Lazcluze prescriptions will show a steep upward trend drawing a J-curve."
She added, "We still believe we can confirm a meaningful improvement trend in Mariposa clinical trial data by the end of this year or early next year, and we have a positive outlook on Yuhans' earnings growth momentum due to expanded Lazcluze prescriptions."
in THEBIO
