Yuhan (000100) is expected to earn about 40 billion won ($28 million) in royalties this year as global sales of its lung cancer drug Lazertinib expand. Annual royalties could reach around 507 billion won by 2040 as overseas prescriptions grow.
Johnson & Johnson said on the 13th that combined third-quarter sales of Rybrevant and Lazertinib rose 62.3% from a year earlier to $320 million. That marked an increase of about 10.7% from the previous quarter. Lazertinib, a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, was South Korea's 31st domestically developed new drug and was licensed out to Janssen, now part of J&J, in 2018.
Industry officials said rising sales of the Lazertinib combination therapy would lift Yuhan's royalty income. NH Investment & Securities (005940) estimated royalties at 5.4 billion won in the first quarter and 7 billion won in the second, followed by 10.6 billion won in the third quarter and 15.7 billion won in the fourth. Over the longer term, Shinhan Securities (008670) projected annual royalties of 105 billion won in 2027, 147 billion won in 2028 and 507 billion won in 2040. Yuhan distributes 40% of the royalties to Oscotec, the original developer. "Royalties will grow further, now that a U.S. insurance billing code was applied to the subcutaneous formulation of Rybrevant in July and sales of the combination therapy have begun in Europe," one industry official said.