Radioactive pharmaceuticals (RPT) that emit radiation to kill only cancer cells are drawing attention as next-generation cancer treatments, leading to increased market interest. They have a shorter development period and fewer side effects than existing treatments, and the RPT product from Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis surpassed annual sales of 1 trillion won, prompting investments in the global pharmaceutical industry. The South Korean government has also begun supporting the development of domestically produced RPT.
On the 17th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced research institutions for radioactive pharmaceuticals (RPT) targeting intractable pancreatic cancer and triple-negative breast cancer as part of the K-Health Future Promotion Group (Korean ARPA-H) research project. Seoul National University Hospital, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and FutureChem will receive 15 billion won from the Ministry of Welfare over five years to conduct research on domestic RPT treatments.
RPT is a pharmaceutical that selectively emits radiation to kill cancer cells. As the RPT developed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis has reached annual sales exceeding 1 trillion won, the investment trend in RPT is growing. According to global market research firm Precedence Research, the global RPT market size is expected to grow from $5.2 billion (7 trillion won) in 2022 to $13.7 billion (18 trillion won) by 2032, with an average annual growth rate of 10.2%.
RPT works similarly to antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). While ADC attaches drugs to antibodies that cling to cancer cells, RPT combines radioactive isotopes that emit radiation with materials that attach to cancer cells. The benefits include a shorter development period and fewer side effects compared to traditional new drugs. Depending on the type of radioactive isotope, RPT can be used for both cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Currently, Novartis leads the global radioactive pharmaceutical market. The metastatic prostate cancer treatment Pluvicto, launched in 2022, surpassed annual sales of $1 billion (1.44 trillion won) within a year, becoming the first RPT blockbuster. Last year's sales were recorded at $1.392 billion (1.878 trillion won). Pluvicto is formulated with the radioactive isotope lutetium, which binds to proteins frequently expressed in prostate cancer, delivering therapeutic radiation solely to cancer cells.
Pluvicto has been prescribed in South Korea since August of last year. Although it comes at a high cost of millions of won per dose, demand globally continues to increase as its effectiveness has been proven. In clinical trials, it extended the median progression-free survival (rPFS) period to twice that of standard treatment methods and reduced the risk of death by 38%, changing the market landscape for prostate cancer treatments.
Other global pharmaceutical corporations are also entering the race to create RPT blockbusters. U.S. companies Eli Lilly and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), as well as U.K. AstraZeneca, are acquiring related corporations. Novartis is also pursuing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) with other companies that possess RPT technology to solidify its leading position in the industry.
Novartis acquired the French RPT specialist Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) for about 2.74 trillion won in 2017 and American company Endocyte for approximately 5.08 trillion won in 2018.
BMS acquired RayzeBio in the U.S. for 5.89 trillion won, while AstraZeneca purchased Canadian Fusion Pharmaceuticals for 3.44 trillion won. Lilly also acquired U.S. POINT Biopharma for 1.8 trillion won.
In South Korea, SK Biopharm has started investing in the birth of the first domestic RPT with the full support of SK Group. Chey Tae-won, the SK Group chairman's eldest daughter, Chey Yun-jung, head of the Business Development Division (vice president), is personally overseeing the entire project, from the introduction of new drug candidates to radioactive isotope supply contracts. SK Biopharm plans to apply for clinical trials for the RPT ‘SKL35501’, introduced from Hong Kong Full-Life Technologies, in the second half of this year.
SK Biopharm has also secured radioactive isotopes, which are crucial in RPT development. By signing a supply contract with U.S. nuclear power company TerraPower, in which SK Group has invested, it can receive the radioactive isotope actinium-225 (Ac-225) for RPT. Joint research is also being conducted with the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences for the development of RPT using actinium-225.
DuChemBio is emerging in the diagnostic RPT sector. It manufactures RPTs that diagnose cancer, Parkinson's disease, and dementia using positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT). The dementia drug 'Leqembi', developed jointly by Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai and U.S. Biogen, can be prescribed only after confirming the suitability of the patient using PET-CT scans. DuChemBio handles the production of the pharmaceutical used for dementia diagnosis during this process. Recently, DuChemBio acquired 100% equity in RadioD&S Labs, an RPT company founded at Seoul Asan Medical Center, for 2.3 billion won to expand into the therapeutic market.
Earlier, in November of last year, the Ministry of Science and ICT also announced a strategy to promote the domestic RPT industry. The plan includes increasing investment in infrastructure for the production and technology development of radioactive isotopes used in RPT development and establishing a management system covering the entire cycle from production to use.