First Launch Of Eisai's Monteplase In Japan

Eisai Pharmaceutical's new thrombolytic drug monteplase has now beenlaunched in Japan, its first market worldwide. The drug, which is sold as Cleactor for use in patients suffering myocardial infarction, was approved in Japan in April.

National Health Insurance price-listing was given on June 12, and monteplase was awarded a Premium II classification for usefulness, despite being the fourth tissue plasminogen activator-based thrombolytic to reach the Japanese market. The drug is available in vials of 400,000, 800,000 and 1,600,000 International Units, at an NHI price of 65,412 yen ($473.65), 129,470 yen and 252,460 yen respectively.

In trials, monteplase has been shown to have a longer half-life than competing t-PA products. The drug can also be given via a simple two-minute bolus, rather than by prolonged infusion, and achieves a very high rate of early arterial patency, notes Eisai. The t-PA market in Japan is estimated to be worth approximately 4 billion yen, and the company expects Cleactor to make sales of 1.5 billion yen in fiscal 1998.