The treatment for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in Japan is currently possible only through a combination of immunotherapy (Keytruda or Tecentriq) and chemotherapy. Against this backdrop, both branded and unbranded digital support for TNBC in Japan is being offered by key companies marketing these immunotherapy drugs. However, patients are preferring unbranded support for effective disease education and management of this difficult-to-treat subtype of the disease, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

According to GlobalData’s ‘Pharmaceutical Intelligence Center’, the number of five-year diagnosed prevalent cases of TNBC in Japan is estimated to decrease from 36,686 in 2022 to 36,282 in 2028.

GlobalData’s ‘Digital Marketing Intelligence’ platform identified branded digital support for TNBC from key companies like MSD (Keytruda.jp and Msdconnect.jp) and Chugai Pharma (Pat.tecentriq.jp, and Chugai-pharm.jp/pr/npr/tec-brs/index).

In the unbranded space, all key companies, including MSD, Chugai Pharma, AstraZeneca (olaparib, an (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor and capivasertib [INN], a protein kinase B inhibitor (Phase III)) and Novartis (alpelisib, a phosphatidylinositol3kinase inhibitor (Phase III)), offer support to patients.

Neha Myneni, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Branded websites for TNBC in Japan offer extensive support to patients in terms of onboarding and extended support during therapy. In the unbranded space, AstraZeneca’s Nyugan.jp is the only breast cancer-specific site focusing on disease education regarding breast cancer types, diagnosis, treatment, and post-treatment support. Other unbranded websites focus mostly on general cancer support or are not specific to breast cancer. Furthermore, support through other digital media like mobile apps and social media is completely lacking from all key companies.”

An analysis of the traffic for unbranded websites over the last three months (January 2022 to March 2022) reveals the highest traffic to Chugai Pharma’s Oshiete-gan.jp (~715,000 visits), followed by AstraZeneca’s Nyugan.jp (~330,000 visits). Traffic to branded websites for patients was low, with Keytruda.jp reporting ~15,000 visits and Pat.tecentriq.jp reporting <5,000 visits. On the other hand, branded websites for healthcare professionals reported significantly higher traffic volume than their patient counterparts, possibly indicating that patients are less interested in branded support.

Myneni concludes: “Focus on disease management support is expected from key companies, where companies like AstraZeneca have set an example through unbranded website Nyugan.jp. In addition, traffic analysis shows high visit volume to unbranded websites, which indicates that patients are more inclined towards disease education and management support for this aggressive type of breast cancer with significant unmet need.

“Hence, improved focus by key companies in this area will further strengthen their hold in Japan’s TNBC market. Furthermore, investing in alternate channels like mobile apps and social media could also increase overall reach to their customers.”