An immunotherapy Keytruda has topped the South Korean pharmaceutical market for the first time. Its outstanding effect confirmed in treating various cancer types have generated sales profit to dominate the market. Anticancer treatment Tagrisso and immunotherapy Humira surpassed the annual sales of 100 billion won. A pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine Prevnar 13 had its sales soaring amid the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) outbreak.

According to the pharmaceutical market research firm IQVIA on Feb. 21, MSD marked the highest sales last year with Keytruda making 155.7 billion won. Keytruda pushed aside Lipitor and took over the first place making year-on-year growth of 24.8 percent. It is first time for