Antineoplastic or anticancer drugs, affect the process of cell division i.e. are antiproliferative. They damage the DNA and initiate apoptosis, preventing the development and spread of neoplastic cells.

Commonly used antineoplastic drugs can be divided into the following six categories: alkylating agents, anti-metabolites, anticancerous, antibiaties, aminoglutethimide and others.

Today, Ddu, the leading global pharmaceutical & medical device B2B online platform, shares China’s Import and Export Report of Antineoplastic Drugs with you.

 

1. General situation of global market of antineoplastic drugs

According to the IMS's latest report, "Global Oncology Trends 2017" showed that in 2016 the global market sales of antineoplastic drugs were 89.6 billion USD and 85 billion USD in 2015.

Over the past five years, the global market of antineoplastic drugs has grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% and is expected to exceed 147 billion USD by 2021.

 

As indicated on the chart, the United States, the European Union and Japan are still the driving forces of the global antineoplastic drug market and account for 41%, 21% and 9% of the global market respectively.

 

The emerging pharmaceutical market (China, Brazil, Russia, India and 21 other countries), as rising stars, has now taken 12% of the market share.

 

2. Global top 20 antineoplastic blockbuster drugs in 2016

 

 

The chart above indicates that the top 5 global companies’ market sales of antineoplastic drugs were Roche (31%), Novartis (12%), Bristol-Myers Squibb (9%), Pfizer (7%) and Rites To (5%) in 2016.

In the last five years, Roche has held an absolute advantage in the field of anti-cancer treatment, with annual sales remaining at around 20 billion USD; Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer have shown a clear upward trend in sales with their own blockbuster antineoplastic drugs; Although Novartis is currently ranked second, their blockbuster antineoplastic drug sales are expected to drop in the near future due to pattern expirations.

Roche is veritably the leader in the market of antineoplastic drugs. Out of 20 of the world's best-selling antineoplastic drugs in 2016, 5 of them were from Roche. The top 3 antineoplastic drugs were Rituximab (rituximab), Anwei ting (bevacizumab) and Herceptin (trastuzumab), all from Roche and all are biological macromolecules of which the sales totaled nearly 18 billion USD in 2016.

 

3. China’s market of antineoplastic drugs

With an increasing number of cancer patients, China is in great demand for antineoplastic drugs. According to statistics of the PBD (Pharmaceutical Database), China’s market sales of antineoplastic drugs has increased from 2.381 billion RMB in 2005 to 15.667 billion RMB in 2015 (CAGR up to 18.4%).

Chinese market shares of antineoplastic drugs have been relatively stable in the last four years, of which botanical drugs took up the largest share with ans estimated 25%, followed by Chinese patent medicines with 23%; anti-metabolites and anticancerous antibiaties took up roughly 12% and alkylating agents accounted for merely 3%. With the continuous development of biotechnology, sales of genetically engineering drugs and antibody drugs are estimated to grow rapidly.

 

4. Targeting antineoplastic drugs are mainly imported.

Targeting antineoplastic drugs are drugs such as Tratuzumab, Imatinib and Sunitinib. Trastuzumab from Genentech, subsidiary company of Roche, is mainly used for the treatment of breast and gastric cancer and Novartis’s Imatinib and Pfizer's Sunitinib, for gastrointestinal cancer. According to China’s customs data, the amount of imports of the above three products were 6.8 billion RMB, 4.7 billion RMB, 1.1 billion RMB respectively.

 

5. Generic drugs are to enter international market

China has successfully had about 40 generic drugs registered in the United States, European Union, Japan and other countries, marching into international market with great achievement.

One of these is oxaliplatin, a commonly used drug for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. After the patent expiration of the original product in 2012, China’s generic drug was released on the market with FDA approval in 2014 and export sales of 12 million USD in 2015.

Clopidogrel, a clinical commonly used anticoagulant drug is another example. China’s generic drug was on the European market with EU approval and achieved export sales of 42 million USD after the original product’s patent expirationin 2012.

Other Chinese generic drugs like cyclophosphamide and tramadol also take up 40% and 20 % of the American market respectively.

P.S: Domestic generic drugs with approvals from the United States, European Union and other countries and regions, are entitled to fair opportunity to compete with the original products in the market in terms of the relevant drug administrations, quality and efficacy.

 

6. Well-known Chinese antineoplastic companies.

• Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., Ltd.

 

Established in 1970 and headquartered in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., Ltd., is not only the front-runner in China’s innovative medicine, but also a well-known R&D center of antineoplastics and surgical medicine in China.

 

Representative products:

Apapatinib (indications: stomach cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, etc.)

Docetaxel (antineoplastic drug)

 

• Betta Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.

 

Betta Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. is a national-level high-tech pharmaceutical company founded by a team of PhD returnees. Betta Pharmaceuticals has established an integrated organization of research and development, manufacturing, sales and marketing with emphasis R&D of innovative drugs and proprietary intellectual property rights. Ever since its establishment in 2003, it has fully committed to R&D and manufacturing of first class national innovative drugs with proprietary intellectual property rights directed at diseases with significant impacts on human health such as malignant tumors, diabetes, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and so forth.

Representative products:

Eckenibine (small molecule targeting antineoplastic drug)

 

• Qilu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

 

Located in Jinan, Qilu Pharmaceutical is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in China. It focuses on the developing, manufacturing and marketing of generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients in the therapeutic areas of oncology, cerebrovascular & cardiovascular, infections, psychological & neurological system, respiratory system, ophthalmological diseases, etc.

Representative products:

Docetaxel (indications: advanced breast cancer, ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer)

Irinotecan (Indications: local progression or metastatic colon cancer)

Capecitabine (indications: colon cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer)

 

7. There is a promising market for cancer vaccine.

Cancer chemotherapeutic drugs can inhibit the progression of tumors to some extent but their poisonous effects and drug resistance should not be overlooked. On the flip side, biopharmaceuticals with better targetability, tumoricidal effect and small amount of side effects, makes chemical compounds with plant origins a promising market for development.

Cancer vaccines, one of the most important biotherapeutic treatment of tumors, has been the focus of researches for antineoplastics drugs. Despite the fact that the development and progression of tumors, features complexity and diversity and there exists disparity between theoretical research and practical application, the design theory and clinical results of cancer vaccines have shown great breakthroughs in inhibiting the progression, transplantation and recurrence of tumors. Vaccines like proteinic bioengineering medicines, characteristically have strong targetability, notable tumoricidal effects without damaging the cell.

Ddu, the leading global pharmaceutical & medical device B2B online platform, believes that the market of new antineoplastics drugs is to be urgently harnessed since there is much opportunity.

 

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By Ddu