Emergency listing of HIV drugs in Japan

Two HIV/AIDS drugs were added to Japan's National Health Insurance drug price list in what is described as an emergency move. These were Janssen  Pharmaceutical's Intelence (etravirine), a non-nucleoside reverse  transcriptase inhibitor) drug, for HIV infection, and Pfizer Japan's  Celsentri (maraviroc), a chemokine receptor inhibitor for the  treatment of CCR5-oriented HIV infection.

The price of a 150mg Intelence tablet was set at 619.80 yen ($7.44),  with premiums of 15% for usefulness and 10% marketability because of  providing a new treatment option and an orphan drug, respectively.  However, the NHI Drug Pricing Organization said that the premium is  limited because there are already several HIV drugs with similar  efficacy. Sales for the product are expected to reach 4.0 million yen  and 120.0 million yen in the first year and the 10th year at peak,  respectively.

Celsentri 150mg tablets were priced at 2,278.80 yen each, with a 23%  premium (an average operating profit ratio of 19.2% X 120%), based on  the cost calculation method because there are no drugs similar to the  new agent. The drug is the first oral CCR5 inhibitor in the world. The  pricing body also said that the premium is limited as post-marketing  data on efficacy due to CCR5 gene mutation in long-term use of the agent  is required. Sales are forecast to reach 9.0 million yen in the first  year and 752.0 million yen at peak in the 10th, respectively.