Migraine digital marketing space in Japan can evolve with launch of Amgen, Teva CGRP inhibitors, says GlobalData

The migraine treatment landscape in Japan is growing with the recent approval of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors as preventative treatment. In this developing market, digital activity has not been prominent until now. However, it is expected to evolve with the recent approval of Amgen and Teva’s drugs, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

According to GlobalData’s ‘Pharmaceutical Intelligence Center’, the market size of migraine in Japan is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.97% from US$165m in 2021 to US$365m in 2029.

The migraine treatment landscape in Japan consists of acute and preventative therapies. In the acute treatment market, triptans are the most prescribed drugs and account for most of the sales. However, they have all lost patent protection and are highly genericized across all the major markets. In the preventative market, the most prescribed drugs are beta-blockers while CGRP inhibitors represent the novel class.

In Japan, the anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) approved for preventative treatment include Daiichi Sankyo / Eli Lilly’s Emgality (January 2021), Amgen’s Aimovig (June 2021), and Otsuka Pharmaceutical / Teva’s Ajovy (June 2021). H. Lundbeck’s eptinezumab (mAb) and AbbVie’s atogepant (small molecule) are in Phase III development. Aimovig, Emgality, and Ajovy are also already approved in other major geographies such as the US and EU.

Venkat Kartheek Vale, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The migraine market is expected to be driven positively by CGRP mAbs for preventative treatment, which are the first biologics ever to enter this market and have the potential to generate higher sales. Against this backdrop, Amgen and Teva have been highly active across digital channels of various countries to promote themselves with the right messaging and offer appropriate support to patients and HCPs. Successful implementation of this strategy in the Japanese market will help companies position their products strongly against each other.”

GlobalData’s ‘Digital Marketing Intelligence’ identified the following digital assets for Amgen’s Aimovig and Teva’s Ajovy across different countries.

The lack of diagnostic tools for identifying migraines has been a significant challenge for physicians to make an accurate and fast diagnosis, indicating a need for greater awareness and understanding of the indication by HCPs to follow an effective treatment approach.

An analysis of the branded websites of Aimovig and Ajovy for HCPs in the US revealed the following messages: ‘Aimovig is the #1 prescribed anti-CGRP therapy in the US, with over three million prescriptions written’ and ‘Ajovy is the long-acting anti-CGRP injection with the option of dosing only four times a year’.

Mr Vale concludes: “The migraine treatment market is all set to grow significantly with the launch of recent anti-CGRPs and few other novel molecules in the late-stage pipeline. Amgen and Teva have realized this opportunity and are using unique messages on the branded websites for HCPs. While the overall number of digital assets remains lower for Amgen, it is one step ahead of Teva to launch a branded website for HCPs (Aimovig.jp) immediately after the product approval in Japan.”

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