The combination therapy of the U.S. pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Yuhan for lung cancer is writing a new chapter in "K-new drugs," logging steep sales growth in the global market.
According to J&J's first-quarter 2026 results released on the 14th (local time), sales of the Rybrevant-Leclaza (ingredient name Lazertinib) combination therapy rose 82.2% from a year earlier to $257 million (about 380 billion won).
That is up 19% from the previous quarter ($216 million). Compared with the first quarter of 2024 ($47 million), the sales scale has grown more than fivefold in two years.
Leclaza is a third-generation EGFR mutation Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) therapy developed by Yuhan. In Aug. 2024, it won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in combination with Rybrevant and entered the U.S. market. It is cited as the first case in which a domestically developed anticancer drug was adopted as a global standard treatment option (first-line therapy) and achieved commercial success.
Experts in the medical community said the Rybrevant-Leclaza combination therapy is winning strong confidence because it has a higher potential to overcome resistance than monotherapy and meaningfully improves patient survival rates.
Recently, a subcutaneous (SC) formulation of Rybrevant that drastically reduces the dosing time compared with the existing intravenous (IV) formulation was launched, which is seen to have accelerated prescribing. The Rybrevant SC formulation received FDA approval in Dec. 2025.
Quarterly sales trends for the Rybrevant-Leclaza combination show an even clearer growth trajectory. Sales, which were $47 million in the first quarter of 2024, climbed stepwise each quarter to surpass $100 million in the fourth quarter of 2024. Growth picked up speed starting in 2025. Quarterly figures expanded to $141 million in the first quarter of 2025, $180 million in the second quarter, $197 million in the third quarter, and $216 million in the fourth quarter.
By region, the U.S. market is driving growth. U.S. sales jumped about 4.8 times from $36 million in the first quarter of 2024 to $175 million in the first quarter of this year. Over the same period, international sales surged more than sevenfold from $11 million to $82 million. The therapy is also seen rapidly increasing its share in Europe and Asia.
For Yuhan, the results are significant because they go beyond simple technology export (license-out) to complete a "full life-cycle success model of new drug development," spanning global clinical trials, approval, and actual sales. Royalty revenue from the expanding sales is also expected to positively affect Yuhan's results in the second half.
A pharmaceutical industry official said, "The Rybrevant and Leclaza combination therapy has now firmly established itself as a standard of care in the global lung cancer treatment market," and added, "It is highly encouraging that a new drug developed by a domestic pharmaceutical company is serving as a 'cash cow' driving sales growth within a global big pharma's core portfolio."
Meanwhile, J&J raised its full-year sales target above its previous outlook, guiding a midpoint of $100.8 billion (about 148 trillion won). The company plans to surpass $100 billion in annual sales for the first time in its history.