The follow-on drug competition within the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive lung cancer treatment market is intensifying with more competitors joining the race. From next month, Alunbrig (brigatinib), receiving the National Health Insurance (NHI) reimbursement for the first-line therapy for lung cancer, and the market leader Alecensa (alectinib) are to engage in a fierce competition. On top of everything else, a third-generation new drug following after Xalkori (crizotinib) is to be introduced.

The ALK-targeting treatment market has been dominated by Pfizer Pharmaceutical Korea’s Xalkori so far. As a first-generation ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), it has been generating 50 billi