Daiichi Sankyo’s U.S. breast cancer drug set for Japan release
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A new breast cancer drug developed by a major Japanese drugmaker that will be offered domestically as early as May is expected to generate more than 1 trillion yen ($9.3 billion) in sales.
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Daiichi Sankyo Co. said during an April 27 conference call held to disclose its financial results it expects combined sales of its anti-cancer drug Enhertu in Japan and the United States to hit 28.5 billion yen during this fiscal year, which began in April.
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Enhertu was approved for use in the United States and Japan after proving effective in clinical trials for some terminal breast cancer patients.
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Daiichi Sankyo President Sunao Manabe called Enhertu “a highly anticipated new drug” during the call. Manabe added that the company is intending to “focus on the area of cancer.”
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Enhertu was developed using antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), a combination of an antibody that targets specific cancer tissues and a conventional anti-cancer drug, which is powerful but also attacks normal cells.
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The combination gives ADCs a high potency. ADCs have the added benefit of also having fewer side effects.
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Daichi Sankyo said it succeeded in stabilizing a “linker,” which binds the antibody and drug. That enabled Enhertu to bind twice the amount of the antibody and the drug than before, making them even more potent, the company said.
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In March, the drug was approved to treat certain types of breast cancer in Japan and is expected to start being administered to patients in May.
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Daiichi Sankyo is aiming to have the drug approved for treating other cancers, such as lung, stomach, and colon cancer.
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Though Enhertu’s Japan price has not been determined, sales in the United States, where it is already on the market, hit 3.2 billion yen by the end of March.
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Kazuaki Hashiguchi, a senior analyst of Daiwa Securities Co., predicted “sales of the drug can top 1 trillion yen a year at their peak.”
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But others are cautious about such high expectations, given that the development of the drug may not proceed as Daiichi Sankyo plans.
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“The key (to successful sales) is whether Enhertu will be approved for other cancers and whether the company can develop another new drug using a similar mechanism with Enhertu,” said an analyst of a foreign-affiliated securities firm.
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