Eurofarma brings Eisai’s insomnia drug Dayvigo to Brazil

The medication, which will begin commercial sales in the second half of the year, will compete with so-called Z-drugs such as zolpidem, the best-known medication in the category. In 2022, when zolpidem became subject to tighter sales restrictions requiring a special prescription, about 23 million tablets were sold in Brazil, according to the Brazilian National Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA).

“It is a drug approved by the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] six years ago, with a good track record in the 28 countries where it is currently marketed. It belongs to a new class and has fewer next-day side effects than Z-drugs,” said João Siffert, Eurofarma’s vice president of innovation. Dayvigo, which was approved by ANVISA in September last year, will reach pharmacies at an average price of R$200.

Eurofarma already markets other insomnia treatments, including zolpidem. “There are now solutions for different profiles of patients with insomnia, from well-established options to the most important innovation in sleep medicine in decades,” Siffert said.

The drugmaker does not disclose how much insomnia treatments contribute to its overall business. The market as a whole grew 9% to R$1.36 billion in the 12 months through June.

Eurofarma ended the first half with net revenue of R$6.1 billion, up 5.9% from the same period last year.

Under the partnership, the Brazilian drugmaker will be responsible for marketing, distribution, and promotion of the drug. According to Siffert, the company will undertake a major education and outreach effort with physicians because the drug belongs to a new therapeutic class. “It is the first drug that works both to induce and maintain sleep, unlike other medications that generally have sleep-inducing mechanisms but do not act on the brain’s wake system,” Siffert said.

According to Brazil’s Health Ministry, 31.7% of Brazilians have insomnia problems, and 20% sleep fewer than six hours a night. This year, insomnia was classified as a chronic disease in Brazil, in line with its classification by the World Health Organization (WHO). Sleep-related problems have intensified in Brazil and around the world since the pandemic, and studies are examining whether they may be among the long-term effects of COVID-19.

When difficulty sleeping occurs at least three times a week for a minimum of three months, it can lead to fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and irritability, according to scientific studies.

This is Eurofarma’s second partnership with Japan’s Eisai, following their first agreement in 2016. In July, Eurofarma entered into another partnership, this time with South Korea’s SK Biopharmaceuticals, to bring cenobamate, sold under the brand name Xcopri, to Brazil as a treatment for epilepsy.

Last year, the Brazilian drugmaker partnered with Denmark’s Novo Nordisk to launch two brands of injectable semaglutide in Brazil for the treatment of obesity and diabetes. “These partnerships prompted Eisai to sign an agreement with us,” Siffert said. Partnerships with other pharmaceutical companies involving innovative medicines account for 30% of Eurofarma’s revenue.