Use of Takeda's Entyvio SC in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Has Slowed Considerably in the EU5 as Gastroenterologists Eye Potential New Launches Later This Year

EXTON, Pa., June 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A few months after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved Takeda's subcutaneous formulation of Entyvio, known as Entyvio SC, Spherix captured the initial impact of the launch on the EU5 Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) markets through their RealTime Dynamix™ services. The latest UC and CD reports, sampling ~250 EU5 gastroenterologists each in April and May of 2021, revealed that after a strong market entry, growth of Entyvio SC has remained flat from the prior wave of research.

While not overt, there are several data points that suggest efficacy concerns for Entyvio SC have increased among EU5 gastroenterologists in the past six months.

• While not unusual for a newly-launched therapy, the discontinuation rate for Entyvio SC increased in both UC and CD as compared to the previous wave.
• In a comparison to Q4 2020, "lack of efficacy" as a primary reason for discontinuation of Entyvio SC increased by ten percentage points in UC and by seven points in CD.
• Similarly, "concerns about efficacy" increased as a barrier to Entyvio SC prescribing in UC and CD.
• The percentage of severe UC patients who are considered candidates for Entyvio SC in UC decreased by eleven points since the last wave.

Despite the stoppage in growth and weakened perceptions of efficacy, EU5 gastroenterologists state that they expect to resume prescribing Entyvio SC, increasing the therapy's share in both UC and CD over the next six months.

Efficacy is critical to EU5 gastroenterologists' perceptions of therapies to treat UC and CD. The Q2 RealTime Dynamix™ reports include comparisons of stated importance for several clinical attributes versus the leading attributes driving overall therapy perceptions from a derived analysis perspective.  For both UC and CD, the results were clear that efficacy as measured by "sustained remission, symptom improvement, induction of remission, and mucosal healing" is the top driver to therapy decision-making compared to safety and other features. 

Aside from concerns regarding efficacy, setbacks for Entyvio SC echo the overall lack of change in prescribing that took place in UC and CD in the EU5 markets since the middle of last year. During this time, Entyvio IV experienced a decrease in UC prescribing, while Janssen's Remicade saw a slight increase. Similarly, CD brand share changes did not measure more than one percentage point up or down over the past six months.

The lack of therapy switching may be a result of the anticipation for the potential EMA approvals of new UC therapies by the end of this year; both Gilead/Galapagos' filgotinib and BMS' ozanimod are currently under review. EU5 gastroenterologists' unaided awareness of both pipeline agents increased notably compared to last year. 

Being slightly closer to an EMA approval, filgotinib stands out from the pipeline pack, with more than one-half of EU5 gastroenterologists rating the agent as an "expected first-line treatment" or a "treatment they expect to use routinely." When asked to select their most preferred UC agent in development, more than one-quarter of respondents selected filgotinib, followed by AbbVie's JAK inhibitor, upadacitinib.

Physicians supported their first-choice selection of filgotinib with specific remarks about the therapy in terms of clinical trials, oral administration, mechanism of action, and efficacy. Respondents were also asked to estimate their potential share for filgotinib if approved by the EMA and were profiled by the level of their responses.

Spherix will continue to monitor the impact of new clinical data and new formulations on EU5 IBD prescribing as 2021 progresses. Another round of analysis included in the UC and CD RealTime Dynamix™ (EU) services are scheduled for publication later this year, as well as patient audit data included in the RealWorld Dynamix™: Biologic/Small Molecule Switching in IBD (EU) service.

About RealTime Dynamix™
RealTime Dynamix™ is an independent service providing strategic guidance through rapid and comprehensive twice-yearly reports, which include IBD market trending, launch tracking, and a fresh infusion of unique content with each wave. The report captures responses from ~250 EU5 (France, Italy, Germany, Spain UK) gastroenterologists.

Spherix's companion services, RealTime Dynamix™: Crohn's Disease (US) and RealTime Dynamix™: Ulcerative Colitis (US) track the evolution of the IBD market in the US through a quarterly report series.

Learn more about our services here.

About Spherix Global Insights
Spherix Global Insights is a hyper-focused market intelligence firm that leverages our own independent data and expertise to provide strategic guidance, so biopharma stakeholders make decisions with confidence. We specialize in select immunology, nephrology, and neurology markets.

All company, brand or product names in this document are trademarks of their respective holders.

For more information contact:
Kristen Henn, Business Development Manager
Email: [email protected]
www.spherixglobalinsights.com 

SOURCE Spherix Global Insights

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