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Falling At The Start Line: Chinese Firms Face Multiple Commercial Challenges Beyond Price, Coverage

First-In-Class But Low Revenues

 
• By Brian Yang

Sales of a global first-in-class dermatology drug that gained its first approval in China are falling well behind those of its overseas counterpart. Brian Yang takes a deeper look into the multiple underlying factors determining success in the world's second-largest pharma market beyond pricing and reimbursement coverage, including complex hospital entry, dual channels and competition considerations. 

China NDA in 2021 sized 1200
Chinese drug makers face commercial challenges beyond pricing, coverage • Source: Shutterstock

For a Chinese domestically developed, first-in-class, topical non-steroidal treatment, and the first new drug for plaque psoriasis in 25 years, benvitimod - also known as tapinarof and WBI-1001 - encountered a surprisingly uphill battle to gain commercial success on its home turf. Meanwhile, its overseas counterpart has attracted large investment and enjoyed considerably more success.

Receiving its first approval globally from China's National Medical Products Administration in 2019, the therapeutic aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) modulating agent was originally developed by a team including the founder...

Key Takeaways

  1. There’s much more to commercial success in China than just approval and launch; reimbursement is only among the first steps.

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