According to the latest data, the market size of chemical drugs in public hospitals in key cities nationwide exceeded RMB 170 billion in 2022. Guangzhou retained the top spot, Beijing ranked second, while Shanghai fell out of the top three. Oncology drugs were the mainstay of medication use in the three cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, with seven oncology drugs dominating the top 10 brand list in Guangzhou. Established branded drugs faced competitive pressure, while innovative antibody drugs from Sanofi, Novartis, and Merck saw soaring sales. Domestic brands such as CSPC, Qilu, and Yangtze River made the list, with a unique product from Shanghai Pharmaceutical showing growth against the market trend.

Urban Landscape of Chemical Drug Sales in Public Hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, 2022 (Unit: RMB billion)

Guangzhou: Seven Oncology Drugs Dominate! CSPC and Qilu Shine

Data from Minenet shows that in 2022, the sales of chemical drugs in public hospitals in Guangzhou exceeded RMB 21 billion, a year-on-year increase of 3.34%, leading among the three cities. In terms of therapeutic areas, the top three categories were antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents, blood and hematopoietic system drugs, and digestive system and metabolic drugs, accounting for 33.50%, 12.77%, and 12.51% of the total, respectively.

Annual Sales Trends of Chemical Drugs in Public Hospitals in Guangzhou (Unit: RMB billion)

Among the top 10 brands, seven were antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents, with the top six all falling into this category. Roche and CSPC Ouyi each had two brands on the list. AstraZeneca's osimertinib mesylate tablets, CSPC Ouyi's doxorubicin hydrochloride liposome injection, and paclitaxel injection (albumin-bound) ranked first, second, and third, respectively.

Top 10 Chemical Drug Brands in Public Hospitals in Guangzhou, 2022

Except for Bayer's recombinant human coagulation factor VIII and Roche's trastuzumab injection, all other products achieved good sales growth. Seven brands saw sales increase by more than 10%, with Eisai's lenvatinib mesylate capsules leading with a 56.71% growth rate, Pfizer's cefoperazone sodium and sulbactam sodium injection (2:1) increasing by 25.77%, and CSPC Ouyi's paclitaxel injection (albumin-bound) growing by 20.82%.

As one of Roche's former "three musketeers," trastuzumab injection (Herceptin) still maintains a presence in the three cities. Pertuzumab injection (Perjeta) is currently Roche's second-largest product and made it onto the top 10 brand lists in Shanghai and Guangzhou. According to Roche's financial report, global sales of Perjeta in 2022 were CHF 4.087 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5%.

Only three domestic brands made the list. CSPC Ouyi's doxorubicin hydrochloride liposome injection and paclitaxel injection (albumin-bound) have been in the top 10 for three consecutive years. As the first bevacizumab biosimilar in China, Qilu Pharmaceutical's bevacizumab injection first entered the top 10 in 2021, climbing to fourth place in 2022.

Beijing: Antibody Drugs Surge, Lipitor Falls Out of Top Three

In 2022, the sales of chemical drugs in public hospitals in Beijing approached RMB 20 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 4.17%, ranking second among the three cities. In terms of therapeutic areas, the top three categories were antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents, digestive system and metabolic drugs, and systemic anti-infectives, accounting for 25.66%, 13.18%, and 12.84% of the total, respectively. Only three categories achieved positive sales growth, with dermatological drugs leading with a 29.92% growth rate.

Annual Sales Trends of Chemical Drugs in Public Hospitals in Beijing (Unit: RMB billion)

All top 10 brands achieved sales exceeding RMB 100 million. Novartis's secukinumab injection topped the list for the first time, Sumitomo's meropenem injection ranked second, Merck's pembrolizumab injection (Keytruda) came in third, and Pfizer's Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium tablets) fell out of the top three for the first time. Foreign brands dominated the list, with Beijing Taitai's flurbiprofen cataplasm being the sole domestic brand.

Top 10 Chemical Drug Brands in Public Hospitals in Beijing, 2022

Four brands saw sales increase by more than 10%, with three monoclonal antibody drugs showing particularly strong growth. Sanofi's dupilumab injection surged by 149.55%, Novartis's secukinumab injection grew by 69.18%, and Merck's pembrolizumab injection increased by 34.85%.

Secukinumab and dupilumab entered the Chinese market in 2019 and 2020, respectively, and were both included in the national reimbursement drug list at the end of 2020, leading to rapid market expansion. Pembrolizumab entered the Chinese market in 2018, and although it has not yet been included in the national reimbursement list, its market performance has also been strong.

As a leading lipid-lowering drug, Pfizer's Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium tablets) held the top spot for many consecutive years. After being included in the first round of centralized procurement, Lipitor lost its leading position and subsequently fluctuated between second and third place. In 2021 and 2022, Lipitor's sales grew by 3.41% and 7.92% respectively, stabilizing the decline, but its ranking fell out of the top three in 2022, ceding its place to new antibody drugs.

Shanghai: Two Brands Grow by Over 15%; SPH, CSPC, and Yangtze River Make the List

Affected by the pandemic, the sales of chemical drugs in public hospitals in Shanghai reached nearly RMB 15 billion in 2022, a year-on-year decrease of 20.04%, forming a stark contrast with Guangzhou and Beijing. Sales across all 14 therapeutic categories fell by more than 15%, with respiratory system drugs plunging by 32.97%. The top three categories in terms of sales were antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents, digestive system and metabolic drugs, and blood and hematopoietic system drugs, accounting for 25.46%, 14.81%, and 13.77% of the total, respectively.

Annual Sales Trends of Chemical Drugs in Public Hospitals in Shanghai (Unit: RMB billion)

Among the top 10 brands, four were antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents, and three were blood and hematopoietic system drugs. Four brands had sales exceeding RMB 100 million. Grifols's human albumin, Roche's trastuzumab injection, and Shenyang Sunshine Pharmaceutical's recombinant human thrombopoietin injection ranked first, second, and third, respectively.

Top 10 Chemical Drug Brands in Public Hospitals in Shanghai, 2022

With the advancement of centralized procurement, established branded drugs that were once in the top 10 have all dropped out. Five domestic brands made the list, including Sunshine Pharmaceutical's recombinant human thrombopoietin, Southwest Pharmaceutical's ceftizoxime sodium for injection, SPH No.1 Biochemical's polymyxin B sulfate for injection, CSPC Baike's long-acting white blood cell booster, and Yangtze River Pharmaceutical's dezocine injection.

Among the ten brands, only two achieved positive sales growth: CSL Behring's human albumin and SPH No.1 Biochemical's polymyxin B sulfate for injection, with growth rates of 17.81% and 15.70%, respectively.

Polymyxin B sulfate for injection is a unique product of SPH No.1 Biochemical, primarily used for infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other pseudomonads. In recent years, this product has seen a significant market surge. Human albumin is an adjuvant drug for COVID-19 and was included in the COVID-19 clinical treatment drug list in some regions, leading to a period of high demand following the relaxation of pandemic controls.