CSL Behring steps into hemophilia treatment market in Korea

Australian-based CSL Limited’s subsidiary opened Korean office in January last year

Earns license on Afstyla for hemophilia A and Idelbion for hemophilia B

CSL Behring, a subsidiary of Australian-based global pharmaceutical company CSL, is to join the hemophilia treatment competition in Korea.

 

The company acquired approval on hemophilia B treatment Idelbion injection on Mar.

 

5, after receiving a marketing license on Afstyla infection, a hemophilia A treatment developed based on SK Chemicals’ license-out pipeline, in last January.

 

The approval process has handled by Zanovex Korea, an offshoot of Zuellig Pharma.

 

CSL Behring is a global pharmaceutical company with line-ups of genetic recombinant technology-based hemophilia and rare disease treatments.

 

As a subsidiary of Australian-based parent company CSL Limited, the global biopharmaceutical company has offices in 60 countries around the globe.

 

Its headquarter is housed in Pennsylvania, U.S.

 

Although the company has been active in China and Japan, it had not stepped into Korean market until its Korean office opened January last year in Gangnam Finance Center, Seoul.

 

The Korean office is led by General Manager Sohn Ji-young, a seasoned global pharmaceutical industry expert.

 

Graduated from Ewha Womans University College of Pharmacy, the general manager served in Pfizer Korea’s Marketing Management and Strategic Planning Unit and Roche Korea’s Oncology Business Unit after earning MBA from Korea University.

 

The name of CSL Behring grabbed the Korean pharmaceutical industry’s attention since the deal signed with SK Chemicals.

 

The Australian biopharmaceutical company licensed in hemophilia A treatment Afstyla, developed by the Korean company, in 2009.

 

After winning the U.S.

 

Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) nod in May 2015, Afstyla was also cleared in EU in January 2017.

 

Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug (MFDS) also approved the treatment on Jan.

 

20.

 

Hemophilia causes prolonged bleeding due to blood clotting process slowed by mutation in gene on X chromosome.

 

Approximately one out 10,000 suffer from the condition, which is divided into either hemophilia A or B depending on the deficient blood clotting factor.

 

Among all hemophilia patients, 80 percent is diagnosed with hemophilia A and 20 percent with hemophilia B.

 

Sources report there about 2,000 hemophilia patients in Korea.

 

The treatment market volume is at around 180 billion won, and the hemophilia A treatment market is led by Shire Pharma’s Advate and GC Pharma’s Greengene F.

 

On the other hand, over 90 percent of the hemophilia B treatment market is taken up by Pfizer’s Benefix.

 

Considering the strong competitors in the market, CSL Behring’s challenge would not be the easiest ride.

 

However, their two items have advantage of effect lasting longer than other existing options providing improved administration convenience.

 

Doubling the existing option’s acting time, patients could benefit from administering Afstyla by only administering two or three times a week.

 

Most of the currently available treatments are administered three to four times a week.

 

Advate, for instance, has to be administered three to four times a week to prevent bleeding.

 

Administered once-weekly, Idelbion has a longer half-life than Benefix that prevents bleeding by administering once in three to four days.

 

However, CSL Behring would have to overcome the increasing intensifying competition between long-acting hemophilia treatments with new competitors emerging to the market.

 

Meanwhile, the original developer of the hemophilia treatment, SK Chemicals’ blood product subsidiary SK Plasma would be in charge of the marketing and sales of Afstyla in Korea.