Investigation Report on China's Recombinant Human Lutropin alfa Market, 2018-2022

According to the WHO’s estimate, infertility affects 15% to 20% of the global population. Survey data shows that in 2017, the incidence of infertility among married couples in China was 10%, more than double the 4.8% in 1984. As environmental pollution intensifies and lifestyle changes, the incidence of infertility is increasing and infertility is increasingly prevalent among Chinese young people. About 15% to 20% women of childbearing age in China are troubled by infertility. As the biggest cause of female infertility in China, follicular dysplasia syndrome resulting from endocrine dysfunction accounts for over 40% of infertility cases. In addition to reasonable adjustments to menstrual period and etiological treatment, for fertilization, it is necessary to adopt an ideal solution to promote the development and maturation of follicles in clinical treatment.

Since 2015 when the Chinese government relaxed its family planning policy, sex hormone drugs have been growing rapidly, and the infertility treatment and IVF, an assisted reproductive technology (ART), have attracted much attention. In China’s end markets of ART and sex hormone drugs, macromolecular bioengineered drugs such as Recombinant Human Follitropin, Recombinant Follitropin Beta, Recombinant Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, and Human Lutropin alfa are taking the place of small-molecule chemicals.

Recombinant Human Lutropin alfa is a glycoprotein obtained by genetic engineering technique. It can combine with the luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin (LH/CG) receptor on the ovariole sheath (and granular layer) and the Leydig cell membrane. For women who lack luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) to ovulate, the use of LH can increase the level of estradiol secreted by the follicle and stimulate follicular development.

Merck Serono's Recombinant Human Lutropin alfa (trade name: Luveris) was approved to be sold in China in 2008. In 2017, the sales value exceeded CNY 30 million. By the end of 2018, China's Recombinant Human Lutropin alfa market will be monopolized by Merck Serono. According to this analysis, multinational companies such as Merck Serono and Merck Sharp & Dohme dominate China’s fertility drug market. Meanwhile, Chinese companies such as Livzon Pharmaceutical Group Inc., GeneScience Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Xianju Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Hybio Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. are also launching generic drugs. It is expected that the pattern of China's Recombinant Human Lutropin alfa market will change in the next few years.

In 2015, the Chinese government relaxed its “family planning policy” that had been implemented for over three decades, allowing each couple to have two children. In China, about 90 million women of childbearing age are eligible to have a second child. And an estimated 30% of them have the desire. Therefore, China's fertility drug market is promising.

Topics Covered:

• Situation of infertility in China
• Overview of China's fertility drug market
• Analysis on the fertility drug manufacturers in China
• Major factors influencing the development of fertility drugs in China
• Forecast on China's Recombinant Human Lutropin alfa market from 2018 to 2022