J Menopausal Med.  2021 Dec;27(3):s7.

The Use of Osteoporosis Medications in Korea in 2020

• Park JY
• Song JY
• Kim MR

Abstract

Objective
Osteoporosis is the most common chronic disease that occurs after menopause in women. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of use of osteoporosis drugs in Korea by figuring out the size of osteoporosis drugs sold in Korea in 2020.
Methods
Data Based on Intercontinental Marketing Services (IMS) data for 5 years from 2016 to 2020, the sales amount of osteoporosis drugs was calculated to determine the usage status of osteoporosis drugs. Specific pharmacologic drugs were analyzed included oral and intravenous bisphosphonate, raloxifene, parathyroid hormone, RANKL inhibitors and others. In November 2019, Romosozumab was newly approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for use as a treatment for osteoporosis and was included in this analysis.
Results
When looking at the market share of non-hormonal drugs in osteoporosis treatment, denosumab, a SERM drug, showed a steep rise from 2% in 2017 to 30% in 2020, and denosumab was the most used drug in 2020. Compared to 2019, the quarterly sales in 2020 also increased by 58.6% from 47.5 billion won to 75.1 billion won compared to the previous year. It was followed by Ibandronate, Alendronate, and Risedronate, and bisphosphonate showed a decreasing trend. In the case of calcitonin and raloxifene, there is a decreasing trend compared to 2016. In the case of newly added Romosozumab, the market share by component was 2%. Although the insurance benefit standard was applied on December 1, 2020 and is not widely used in 2020, considering the mechanism and effect of this drug, it is likely to emerge as the most important treatment for severe osteoporosis patients in the future.
Conclusion
Osteoporosis is the most common chronic disease in the elderly, and it will become more serious as we age. However, compared to the seriousness of the disease, there were not many treatments for this disease. As Romosozumab, an anabolic agent, is added as a new treatment for osteoporosis, it will be possible to save many patients from the risk of fracture by using various treatment agents well.