Celltrion began the domestic sale of its Alzheimer's dementia treatment, Donerion Patch (ingredient name: donepezil), on Monday.
Donerion, the first patch-type donepezil-based dementia treatment worldwide, received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in November and began to get insurance benefits this month, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s decision.
Unlike oral drugs taken daily, the Donerion patch improved the compliance of dementia patients, providing convenience for their guardians who only have to apply it twice weekly.
As the drug is slowly absorbed through the skin instead of quickly through the gastrointestinal tract, the fluctuation of the blood drug concentration is low, enabling stable, long-term administration. Additionally, it normally maintains acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, to improve cognitive function and slow down dementia.
The Donerion patch secured the validity of phase 3 clinical results conducted on about 400 mild and moderate Alzheimer's dementia patients in Korea, Taiwan, Australia, and Malaysia.
Particularly, in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-cog), a standard tool for dealing with memory, language, reconstruction, behavior, and intelligence of patients with mild and moderate Alzheimer's dementia, the patch exhibited noninferiority to oral donepezil.
According to the market research firm UBIST, the market size is expected to increase further, given that the domestic market for Alzheimer's donepezil-based dementia treatments stood at about 260 billion won ($199 million) last year, accounting for 80 percent of the total dementia treatment market.
The Donerion patch 87.5mg/25 released in Korea was priced at 1,187 won, and the Donerion patch 175mg/50 at 1,736 won on Monday, 10 percent cheaper than the average of oral treatments.
"We will rapidly increase our market share armed with the advantages of the Donerion patch in the Alzheimer's dementia therapeutics market, including improved adherence and convenience of medication in addition to the efficacy of the drug,” a Celltrion official said. "We will do our best to supply the product without a hitch so that Alzheimer's dementia patients and their families can benefit from new treatment options."