Interpretation of the launch time and sales situation of Daprodustat in China

Daprodustat has not been officially approved for marketing in China, nor has it been included in the national medical insurance system. Although it has been approved for the treatment of chronic kidney disease-related anemia (CKD-related anemia) in many countries around the world and has become an important member of the oral HIF-PHI class of drugs, it is still in the approval and introduction stage in mainland China.

From the perspective of international launch time, daprostat was first approved in Japan under the trade name "Duvroq" in June 2020 for the treatment of anemia caused by chronic kidney disease; subsequently on 20 In February 2023, "Jesduvroq" was approved by the FDA in the United States for the treatment of CKD anemia in dialysis patients. The successful experiences in these overseas markets provide favorable reference for China’s subsequent applications.

At present, although there is no specific pricing information in China, you can refer to the price range in overseas markets. Specifications of original drug include 1 mg, 2 mg, 4 mg, 6 mg, 8 mg and other oral tablets are sold overseas for approximately 100 to 500U.S. dollars, equivalent to about 700 to 3500 yuan in RMB. The specific price is greatly affected by the exchange rate and supply area. At the same time, some countries such as Laos have already launched a generic version of daprostat, with a common specification of 1 mg*100 tablets, each box sells for about 400–500 yuan. The drug ingredients are basically the same as those of the original research, making it a lower-cost option.

In short, in the Chinese market, the official launch of dapostat still needs to wait for NMPA's approval and medical insurance negotiations. If it enters the market, it will provide a new oral treatment option for CKD anemia patients. At present, domestic patients can obtain it through overseas original drugs or generic drug channels, but factors such as legal compliance, drug quality and price need to be comprehensively considered. In the future, once daprostat obtains marketing authorization and is included in medical insurance, its accessibility and economics are expected to be greatly improved.

Reference materials:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daprodustat