Description
According to IARC’s 2020 World Cancer Report, the number of new cases of breast cancer reached 2.26 million in 2020, larger than that of lung cancer cases which was 2.2 million. Breast cancer has become the most prevalent cancer around the world. In China, there were 420,000 new cases of breast cancer in 2020. According to the statistics, the incidence of breast cancer in China continues to rise, growing twice as fast as the global average rate, ranking first in the world. And Chinese women develop breast cancer at much younger ages, which are 10 years earlier than women in Western countries.
Unlike other tumors, breast cancer can also be treated by endocrine therapy beside conventional treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Endocrine therapy is applied to the whole treatment process of breast cancer patients from early adjuvant treatment to postoperative adjuvant treatment and recurrence salvage in clinical practice because it boasts good curative effect and can greatly reduce the risk of cancer coming back. Endocrine therapy for breast cancer is mainly achieved by oral medications.
Drugs for breast cancer endocrine therapy are divided into three categories, estrogen receptor modulators, aromatase inhibitors and estrogen receptor down-regulators. Anastrozole belongs to the second category and is indicated for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Patients who are estrogen receptor negative but tamoxifen positive can take it. Anastrozole is also indicated for the adjuvant treatment of estrogen receptor-positive early-stage breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
Anastrozole was developed by AstraZeneca with Arimidex as its trade name. And it was first marketed in the United States in 1995, approved by the FDA of U.S. for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women. 1999 saw the introduction of AstraZeneca’s anastrozole into China, where it was approved for use in the adjuvant treatment of estrogen receptor-positive early-stage breast cancer in postmenopausal women. In the following years, generic versions of anastrozole were launched by local Chinese companies. According to CRI’s market research, AstraZeneca still occupied more than 80% of China’s anastrozole market share in 2020 in terms of market value, thus having a huge competitive advantage.
According to CRI’s survey data, the sales value of anastrozole in China kept increasing year by year from 2016 to 2020, not much impacted by COVID-19. In 2020, the sales value of anastrozole in China was about CNY452 million, with a CAGR of 12.1% from 2016 to 2020.
CRI expects that with the rising incidence of breast cancer in China, anastrozole still has significant room for growth in the Chinese market. In addition, compared with other drugs of the same category, anastrozole has been clinically used earlier and is reimbursable under the medical insurance with little cost, and it has relatively fewer side effects as well. Some studies suggest that anastrozole may reduce the risk of invasive estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ in a high-risk postmenopausal breast population. New indications for anastrozole are also expected to be approved in China soon. According to CRI’s estimation, from 2021 to 2025, the sales volume and value of anastrozole in China will continue to grow.
Topics Covered:
- The Impact of COVID-19 on China’s Anastrozole Market
- Development Environment of Anastrozole in China
- Sales Volume of Anastrozole in China
- Sales Volume and Value of Anastrozole in China by Region
- Major Anastrozole Manufacturers in China and Their Market Share
- Sales Price of Anastrozole in China
- Prospects of China’s Anastrozole Market, 2021-2025
