Johnson & Johnson’s attempt to switch physicians from intravenous to subcutaneous Darzalex is almost complete. Having won FDA approval for Darzalex Faspro in May 2020, J&J has converted 85% of its U.S. business to the subcutaneous formulation of the cancer treatment.
Analysts identified the approval of the subcutaneous formulation as a potential inflection point for sales of Darzalex, noting that a product that takes hours to infuse intravenously could be given in minutes. The prediction has come to pass. In the first half of 2020, J&J reported Darzalex sales of $1.8 billion. Two years later, sales for the first half hit $3.8 billion.
J&J provided an update on the conversion between the intravenous and subcutaneous formulations on its second-quarter results conference call with investors. The conversion stands at 85% in the U.S. and 80% in Europe.
“It continues to move in the right direction, given the enhanced convenience and ease of use for the patient that our subq formulation offers. So Darzalex is doing very well, and we feel very confident about the continuous progression of Darzalex,” J&J CEO Joaquin Duato said on the conference call.
The comments follow a quarter in which Darzalex sales grew 46% on an operational basis, driving a 12% rise in revenues across the pharmaceutical group. J&J is looking to squeeze further growth out of the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody as it works toward its goal of becoming a $60 billion-a-year drugmaker by 2025.