(Yicai) July 28 -- AstraZeneca has reported a decline in revenue from the Chinese market, mainly because of stagnant growth of its flagship products Dapagliflozin and Tagrisso, despite the UK-Swedish drugmaker's global revenue continuing to expand.

Revenue from China fell 5 percent to USD3.5 billion in the first half from a year earlier, AstraZeneca said in its semiannual earnings report yesterday. Meanwhile, its overall revenue rose 6 percent to USD30.7 billion, driven by double-digit growth in the oncology and rare disease segments.

Dapagliflozin is AstraZeneca's best-selling drug globally, but due to patent expiration, its revenue declined 11 percent to USD4 billion in the first half. In the Chinese market, Dapagliflozin was included in the centralized procurement program, but AstraZeneca was eliminated from the bidding process due to its high price, resulting in a loss of market share in public hospitals. Moreover, it faces increasing competition from generic drugs.

Tagrisso, a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor drug for lung cancer, is AstraZeneca's second-best-selling product. In the first half, Tagrisso generated USD3.8 billion in revenue, up 6 percent from a year earlier. However, the growth rate of China's EGFR-TKI market is slowing down, and the environment is becoming more competitive.

As a first-line treatment for advanced, non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR-sensitive mutations, Tagrisso has maintained a leading position in the Chinese market due to its first-mover advantage. But with the introduction of several domestic original drugs, its dominant position is showing signs of weakening.

AstraZeneca is increasing its investment in the Chinese market. In January, it unveiled plans to invest over CNY100 billion (USD14.8 billion) in China by 2030 to promote the development of next-generation innovative drugs.

Moreover, the firm has acquired new product pipelines in the country to strengthen its competitive position in the respiratory field. This month, it secured the overseas rights to a PDE3/4 inhibitor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from Sino Biopharmaceutical for USD1.9 billion and acquired the global rights to Sunvozertinib from Dizal Pharmaceutical for USD1.5 billion.

Editor: Futura Costaglione