Domestic companies such as GC Pharma are in trouble. Shingrix Expected to Change the Domestic Shingles Vaccine Market With Expensive Premium Vaccine. Analysts say that two months after its launch in Korea, it is rarely showing its strength in the hospital and clinic markets.

In particular, at the clinical site, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) seems to be in confusion as some say that its competitors are benefiting from its marketing policy to raise awareness of shingles with the launch of Shingrix. According to the pharmaceutical industry and the medical community on the 11th, GSK's Shingrix vaccine was released in December last year and is currently available in hospitals and clinics. Shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults over the age of 50 and immunocompromised people over the age of 18. In particular, given that the prevention rate is more than 90% in all age groups over the age of 50, the prevention rate was dominant and the release of Shingrix would shake the domestic shingles vaccine market.

Perhaps that's why competition among domestic companies over copyrights for Shingrix sales and marketing was fierce. As a result, the main character who won the copyright through fierce competition is "GC Pharma," which is called a vaccine master, and "Gwangdong Pharmaceutical," which maintains a continuous cooperative relationship with GSK. In the case of GC Pharma, the most vaccinated internal medicine is focused on sales and marketing, while Guangdong Pharmaceutical is focusing on otolaryngology, orthopedics, and rehabilitation medicine.

Two months after Shingrix's launch in the hospital and clinic markets, the prevailing opinion is that there are not many patients who want to be vaccinated at the clinical site. It is evaluated that the relatively "high price" of Singrix served as a hurdle.

According to the Medical Times report, the single inoculation price of Singrix in hospitals and clinics is between 250,000 won and 300,000 won. Considering that it is two inoculations, the inoculation price is distributed between 500,000 won and 600,000 won. Moon Yeon-hee, executive director of GSK's vaccine business division, explained at the launch meeting, "The price of Shingrix was set by comprehensively considering its efficacy and socio-economic effects on complications after shingles." The clinical site suggested that such a price setting was not suitable in the recent economic crisis caused by three high-interest rates, high prices, and high exchange rates.

"As soon as Shingrix was released, we brought 20 to the clinic, but there are no inoculators yet," said a Seoul physician who asked not to be identified. "We offered 500,000 won for two inoculations, but patients want 300,000 won, which is impossible for clinics."

Kwak Kyung-geun, vice president of the Korean Internal Medicine Association (Seoul Internal Medicine), said, "Patients are interested in it, but there is too much resistance to the price. Moreover, it is difficult for patients to actively explain the vaccine effect to patients because they understand that the benefits of vaccination are entirely taken by clinics." He said, "In Gangnam, etc., Shingrix can be inoculated, but this is not large considering the total consumer population," adding, "The company should reflect the level of medical services and the economic level, but I think the company has taken too far." Park Geun-tae, chairman of the Korean Internal Medicine Association (Park Geun-tae Internal Medicine Clinic), also said, "I think patients are reluctant to take Shingrix because it is too expensive," adding, "Moreover, the burden of getting it twice compared to other competing vaccines is also working." Both clinical sites and pharmaceutical industries are paying attention to GSK's recent activities to raise awareness of shingles such as TV advertisements. It is a shingles campaign advertisement with no product name or company name on the front of the advertisement featuring actor Ma Dong-seok.

The Pharmaceutical Affairs Act is also related, but unlike advertisements by existing pharmaceutical companies, the main focus is to inform patients of the risk of shingles by focusing on diseases. This, was expected to raise public awareness of the need for shingles management. GSK official said, "Shingles is a disease that occurs a lot in the age of 50 or older in Korea," and stressed, "This advertisement is designed to provide accurate information and raise awareness of shingles disease." TV advertisements to raise awareness of shingles are working, but they pointed out that they are not leading to Singrix vaccination. This is due to the high inoculation price of 500,000 won to 600,000 won.

Kwak Kyung-geun, vice president of the Medical Association, said, "TV advertisements have increased the number of patients inquiring about shingles vaccine," adding, "We compare and explain the antibody production rate for each shingles vaccine, but in terms of price, Shingrix tends to be burdened." "There are patients who are hepatically vaccinated with Zostavax or Sky Zoster while inquiring about shingles vaccine through TV advertisements," he said.

As a result, some in the pharmaceutical industry say that competitors MSD or SK Bioscience are actually taking advantage of the shingles advertisement. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the average inoculation prices of MSD Zostavax and SK Bioscience Sky Zoster are distributed from 140,000 won to up to 190,000 won in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Among them, Zostavax price is 10,000 to 20,000 won more expensive on average than Sky Zoster, but the price alone is more than 300,000 won cheaper than Shingrix. As a result, it is suggested that it is establishing itself in the market as a vaccine with "cost-effectiveness."

A doctor-turned-domestic executive, who asked not to be identified, said, "One man windows and another man reps have raised awareness of shingles due to advertising effects, but competitors seem to be working. He hinted that sales and marketing will not be easy because it is difficult to release vaccine supplies to distributors in a situation where the margin rate is not large.

This is a difficult part for GC Pharma and Kwangdong Pharmaceutical, which won the copyright by presenting a relatively low margin rate along with GSK, the developer of Shingrix. As local governments have recently competitively carried out projects to support shingles vaccination, the need to supply supplies to Zostavax and Sky Zoster is rather increasing. The supply of Zostavax and Sky Zoster has been insufficient in the general hospital and clinic markets. The shingles vaccine market is not reorganized around Shingrix, but rather, competitive items have recently benefited from reflection. Some even say that it is regrettable that the volume is rather small at a time when competitors are benefiting from shingles advertisements.

Kim Joo-han, medical director of the Korean Society of Otolaryngologists (Open St. Mary's Otolaryngology Clinic), said, "Shingrix does not have many inoculations, but as local governments run shingles vaccine projects, even Zostavax and Sky Zoster supplies are insufficient."