Even with new entrants edging into the crowded irritable bowel disease (IBD) market and potentially threatening Entyvio’s spot as the market leader, Takeda figures its product still has room to grow thanks to a newly approved subcutaneous pen device.
The Japanese drugmaker’s Entyvio pulled down 234 billion Japanese yen ($1.5 billion) during the first quarter of Takeda's fiscal year, representing a 7.6% increase from the same period a year ago.
Despite the enthusiasm around AbbVie’s fast-rising up-and-coming blockbuster Skyrizi, Entyvio's growth “continues to outperform” the overall IBD market, according to Takeda's recent investor presentation (PDF). In the U.S., the drug commands the No. 1 position in both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease, the two types of IBD, according to the drugmaker.
Meanwhile in Europe, Entyvio sales are benefiting from fewer pricing headwinds compared with last year, the company added.
Last year, Takeda added a subcutaneous version of the IBD biologic to the U.S. market in the form of its Entyvio Pen. The new device scored FDA approval in September for UC patients and added a Crohn’s use in April.
With the addition of the new option, Entyvio preference among healthcare providers and patients is growing, Takeda said.
In another important factor to holding its own against threats like Skyrizi, Entyvio is keeping its lead in new starts of biologic-naïve patients, according to the company's presentation.
Now that the pen’s label includes both of the two IBD indications, and considering the company’s continued efforts to increase access, Takeda expects uptake to ramp up over the second half of the year as the Crohn’s launch picks up, Takeda's U.S. business head Julie Kim said on a first-quarter earnings conference call.
For its part, AbbVie's Skyrizi has been on the Crohn’s market for two years and just expanded its label to include UC with a June FDA approval. In the wake of that recent approval, AbbVie plans to put resources behind growing Skyrizi and its other Humira successor, Rinvoq, in the IBD uses.
Besides the Entyvio spotlight in Takeda's earnings, the company said its growth products “more than offset” the loss of exclusivity impacts from former big sellers, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Vyvanse, during the first quarter.
Vyvanse sales are still declining after a U.S. loss of exclusivity in August, albeit at rates “slightly milder than anticipated” thanks to supply struggles for many generics makers, Takeda said. Still, U.S. Vyvanse revenues dipped 32% during the quarter and are expected to fall more in upcoming quarters as generic supply picks back up.
All in all, the company collected a total haul of 1.2 trillion Japanese yen ($7.9 billion) during the quarter, a 2.1% increase from last year’s first quarter.