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- 2026-04-10 05:23:34
- Company
- Pharma industry on alert over business risks in China
- by Lee, Seok-Jun May 24, 2023 05:32am
- Business risks related to China have been rising in Korea’s pharmaceutical industry. There are many causes, including the termination of the contract for supplying medicines (or cosmetics), liquidation of Chinese subsidiaries, and claims for damages, etc. Most of them are due to the failure of their Chinese partners in fulfilling their promises. On the 22nd, Ahn-Gook Pharmaceutical publicly announced that it had requested the termination of its supply contract to the Chinese company (Sichuan Wanhe Chinese Medicinal Decocting Pieces PLC) it had signed a supply contract with for its ‘Anycough Cap’. The original contract term was 10 years from when the company receives the Import Drug License for Anycough Cap. However, the Import Drug License was not approved due to the other party's non-fulfillment of the contract, which was the grounds for the termination. The contract was worth KRW 26.9 billion at the time of its signature. Il-Yang Pharmaceutical is liquidating its key OTC Chinese subsidiary. On the 15th, Il-Yang Pharmaceutical publicly announced that it had decided to dissolute and liquidate its subsidiary 'Tonghwa Ilyang Health Products Co., Ltd.’ to increase management efficiency. The industry pointed to the company’s conflict with its partner as the cause. The company announced that it was unable to settle the dissolution by agreement, and plans to proceed with the dissolution procedure with the competent court. By shares, Tonghwa Il-Yang is 45.9% owned by Il-Yang Pharmaceutical, 19.4% by Il-Yang Pharmaceutical’s owner family Do-eon Jeong and affiliates, and 34% by Tonghua City in China. The dissolution was decided upon due to a conflict with the Chinese city. Tonghwa Ilyang was a profit-raising company that posted sales of KRW 40.4 billion and an operating profit of KRW 19 billion last year. Its good profitability also played a positive role in the consolidated performance of Il-Yang Pharmaceutical In addition, Dong Sung Bio Pharm terminated its overseas distributor contract for Rannce brand products in early May. The termination will be worth KRW 8.5 billion, excluding the KRW 6.5 billion payment made for contract fulfillment from the original contract’s worth, which was KRW 15 billion. The other party, Artface had planned to supply the Rannce brand to China and other countries. However, the contract was terminated due to the other party’s non-compliance with the minimum performance amount in the contract. Korea United Pharm also announced the termination of the supply contract for Clanza CR tablets worth KRW 40.9 billion in December last year. This is a measure following China's JJK's failure to fulfill its contract. Also, Medytox’s Chinese joint venture is on the verge of dissolution. Its partner, Gentix sued Medytox earlier this year for contract violation. The company also filed a claim for damages worth KRW 118.8 billion, claiming that there was a problem with the terms of the JV contract. Medytox had established the joint venture, MedyBloom China, with Bloomage Biotechnology in 2016 with a 50:50 stake. Medytox, which invested KRW 7.2 billion, judged that there was no violation of the contract on its side and is responding through legal representation. As risks arise in the Korean pharmaceutical industry's business with China, the feasibility of the contracts made by other pharmaceutical companies in China is also drawing attention. In June 2017, Seoul Pharmaceutical signed a KRW 111.1 billion contract with a Chinese company to sell and supply orally disintegrating strips for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. The amount of KRW 111.1 billion was set as the supply price based on US dollars for the quantity agreed upon by the two companies for a total of 10 years after the drug’s approval by the CFDA in China. This is a conditional amount that can only be generated if the drug is approved in China. However, no separate announcement has been made so far on its approval. A market insider pointed out, "There are many cases where businesses in China fall apart due to the partners' failure to fulfill contracts. This is why business is often delayed and contracts are broken."
- Product
- The expansion of OTC medicine at convenience stores
- by Kim JiEun May 24, 2023 05:32am
- As safe household medicines enter their 10th year of introduction, public opinion is forming that the items and places where they can be used should be expanded with the weapon of ‘resolving the gap in medicines and strengthening access rights’. Starting with the application for a special case for demonstration of safe household medicine unmanned vending machines last year, organizations are moving in earnest to improve access to medicines, such as expanding household medicine items, based on public opinion. Currently, an application for the installation of an unmanned vending machine for safety and emergency medicine is being applied for in the regulatory sandbox of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, and an expert advisory meeting and deliberation are ahead. After going through the first expert advisory committee meeting at the end of last year, it is pending, and if the second expert meeting is held, the possibility that the pilot project will be passed at the plenary meeting cannot be ruled out. Recently, an association of civic groups calling for the expansion of safety and household medicine items has been created and is attracting attention. The group, which started its activities under the name of ‘Citizens’ Network for Safe Household Medicines’, plans to begin its official activities on the 30th, starting with the ‘Press Conference to Announce the Results of Public Demand Survey for Safe Household Medicines in Convenience Stores’. The demand survey to be announced on this day was conducted in advance by a civic group called 'Consumer Public Interest Network', which participated as a safety deliberation member on behalf of civic groups at the 2018 Safety Household Medicine Designation Deliberation Committee. It was also the organization that claimed it. In addition, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which has consistently insisted on the need for remote dispensing and drug delivery, is also conducting a public opinion poll to improve drug access. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) announced that after the revision of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, which allowed the sale of household medicines at convenience stores, sales of safe household medicines nearly tripled. The Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry argues that it is necessary to improve access to medicines in order to strengthen the right to public health, and as a solution in this survey, ▲extended operation of pharmacies until 9:00, ▲Introduction of unmanned vending machines for safe household medicine, ▲Expansion of installation of remote video dispensing machines, ▲Designation of 24-hour pharmacies as regional bases, etc. also presented. The Korean Pharmaceutical Association is closely watching these movements of organizations that have set out to form a public opinion with accessibility and convenience as their weapons. An official from the pharmaceutical association said, “We are currently aware of the related content and are discussing countermeasures.” The official also said, “With regard to the application for a special case for demonstration of an unmanned vending machine for household medicine, there has been no special progress since the deliberation was suspended.”
- Company
- Leclaza posts sales of KRW 25 bil in 2 years in Korea
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun May 24, 2023 05:32am
- Yuhan Corp’s anticancer drug ‘Leclaza’ is making good sales in the Korean market, and raised sales of KRW 5.1 billion in Q1 alone. Its efficacy and safety were confirmed in the real world in actual patients at the time of treatment, and the drug is gradually expanding its market influence ahead of its approval as a first-line treatment. According to the market research institution IQVIA on the 23rd, Leclaza’s sales were KRW 5.1 billion in Q1, up 57.4% YoY. It is also a 12.9% increase from the KRW 4.5 billion made in the previous quarter. Leclaza is an NSCLC treatment that was approved as the 31st homegrown novel drug in January last year. It is a 3rd generation EGFR TKI that inhibits the proliferation and growth of lung cancer cells. It is currently approved as a treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC who developed resistance after being previously treated with 1st generation or 2nd generation EGFR-TKIs. The drug entered the market in earnest after being listed for reimbursement in the National Health Insurance Service in July 2021. The drug recorded sales of KRW 1.5 billion and KRW 2.6 billion in Q3 and Q4, respectively. Last year, its quarterly sales had risen to the KRW 4 billion range, and continued growing this year. Cumulative sales made during the 2 years since the release of Leclaza totaled KRW 25.2 billion. Leclaza Leclaza posted sales of KRW 16.1 billion last year, breaking the sales record made by homegrown new anticancer drugs in Korea. Other homegrown new anticancer drugs that were approved before Leclaza include Il-Yang Pharmaceuticals’ Supect, Dongwha Pharm’s Milican, Chong Kun Dang’s Camtobell, Sam Sung Pharmaceutical’s Riavax, Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s Olita. None of the products have exceeded annual sales of KRW 10 billion. At the current rate, Leclaza may likely exceed annual sales of KRW 20 billion this year. Leclaza is considered to have made a smooth start in the market. Anticancer drugs that are usually used in large medical institutions, can only be prescribed after the drug passes each institution’s drug committee, therefore, it takes a considerable amount of time before sales are generated after the initial stage of release. With the added pressure of having to directly compete with outstanding new drug products from multinational pharmaceutical companies, it is not easy for new anticancer drugs developed in Korea to achieve commercial results. Leclaza passed the drug committee of major large medical intuitions in Korea and is accelerating its market penetration efforts. The drug is expected to expand further into the market if it receives approval in the first line. In March, Yuhan Corp applied for approval of Leclaza as a first-line treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR exon 19 deletion or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutation to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Leclaza demonstrated its efficacy over existing treatments in a global Phase III trial (LASER 301) that was conducted on 393 locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations. The trial results had been presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress that was held last year in Singapore. The company has also been accumulating evidence of its efficacy and effect in the real world. Lim Sun Min, Professor of Oncology at Yonsei Cancer Center, and Beung-Chul Ahn, Professor of Oncology at the National Cancer Center, recently published real-world data (RWD) on how Leclaza confirmed its safety and efficacy in practice in the journal, Lung Cancer. This was the first-ever real-world study results announced since Leclaza’s approval, The research team conducted a retrospective study on 103 patients with EGFR T790M mutation-positive NSCLC patients who developed resistance after being previously treated with EGFR-TKI that received Leclaza from January 2021 to August 2022 at Yonsei Cancer Center and the National Cancer Center. 90 of the 103 patients received Leclaza as a second or third-line treatment. The patients’ primary efficacy endpoint in the study, median progression-free survival (mPFS), was 13.9 months. This was consistent with the mPFS of 11.1 months confirmed in LASER201, the study that became the basis of Leclaza’s approval. The objective response rate (ORR) was 62.1%, slightly higher than the 55.3% observed in the LASER201 study. In terms of safety, the drug was also well-tolerated, similar to previous studies. The research team explained, “ The real-world study reaffirmed the consistent effect and efficacy of Leanza as a second-line treatment for EGFR T790M mutation-positive NSCLC patients in practice.” Yuhan Corp has invested a total of KRW 93 billion in the Phase III trial for Leclaza. According to the Financial Supervisory Service, as of the end of the first quarter, Yuhan Corp reflected KRW 93 billion of Leclaza’s development cost as intangible assets. In 2019, the Financial Supervisory Service set a standard that only R&D projects that have technical feasibility, including those for new drugs, shall be accepted as accounting assets. The FSS suggested that R&D costs can be turned into assets after initiating Phase III trials for new drugs and receiving approval for its Phase I trial for biosimilars. As for generic drugs, they can be capitalized after their bioequivalence test plan is approved. Under such standards, Leclaza’s development costs of KRW 32.6 billion were first recognized as intangible assets in Q4 2020. Its development costs were reflected as intangible assets after its Phase III trial began in earnest. Leclaza’s development cost intangible asset increased to KRW 61.4 billion by the end of 2021, and then rose to KRW 88 billion last year, with the added KRW 26.6 billion last year. In Q1 this year, an additional KRW 5 billion was invested as clinical expense.
- Company
- Merck retrieves rights to PD-L1 antibody Bavencio in Korea
- by Eo, Yun-Ho May 23, 2023 05:54am
- The long-standing collaboration that had existed between the Korean subsidiaries of Merck and Pfizer Korea for the immunotherapy ‘Bavencio’ has come to a close. According to industry sources, the companies are in the process of handling the rights for the PD-L1-inhibiting immunotherapy Bavencio (avelumab) in Korea as Merck retrieved the global rights for the drug. As a result, Pfizer Korea’s Bavencio-related personnel (marketing, sales) will also be reassigned to different posts. The two companies have jointly developed and marketed Bavencio after forging a partnership in 2014. Also, the ongoing processes for expanding reimbursement to the first-line in urothelial cell cancer will be carried out by Merck Korea alone from now on. Currently, Bavencio passed the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service’s Cancer Disease Review Committee review in April last year, but no news has yet been heard on its deliberation by the Drug Reimbursement Evaluation Committee. Bavencio was first approved in Korea as a monotherapy to treat adult patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (mMCC) in 2019. The indication was granted insurance reimbursement in October 2020. Since then, the drug has additionally been approved as a first-line maintenance monotherapy in August 2021 for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have not progressed after using platinum-based chemotherapy. Pfizer, which let go of its rights for Bavencio, announced its plans to acquire the anticancer drug company Seagen. This merger between Pfizer and Seagen, which was officially announced in March, is worth USD 43 billion (about KRW 56 trillion) and is considered to be the largest among global pharMaceutical and bio-industry M&A transactions this year. Known for its global expertise in antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), Seagen is considered a leader in the new drug development industry. Its oncology pipeline has 4 anticancer drugs: Adcetris, Padcev, Tivdak, and Tukysa. Pfizer expects the merger to bring sales growth through royalties and collaboration related to the development of ADC anticancer drugs.
- Company
- RWD results reaffirm Leclaza’s efficacy in practice
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun May 23, 2023 05:54am
- Professor Lim Sun Min (right) and Professor Beung-Chul Ahn (left) are presenting Leclaza study results Study results that confirm the efficacy and safety of Yuhan Corp's new anticancer drug ‘Leclaza’ in the real world has been released. Lim Sun Min, Professor of Oncology at Yonsei Cancer Center, and Beung-Chul Ahn, Professor of Oncology at the National Cancer Center, met with reporters at the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association head office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 22nd to introduce the real-world data (RWD) that confirms the efficacy and safety of Leclaza in practice. This was the first-ever real-world study results announced since Leclaza’s approval, and was published in the journal, Lung Cancer. Leclaza is an NSCLC treatment that was approved as the 31st homegrown novel drug in January last year. It is a 3rd generation EGFR TKI that inhibits the proliferation and growth of lung cancer cells. It is currently approved as a treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC who developed resistance after being previously treated with 1st generation or 2nd generation EGFR-TKIs. The research team conducted a retrospective study on 103 patients with EGFR T790M mutation-positive NSCLC patients who developed resistance after being previously treated with EGFR-TKI that received Leclaza from January 2021 to August 2022 at Yonsei Cancer Center and the National Cancer Center. 90 of the 103 patients received Leclaza as a second- or third-line treatment. The patients’ primary efficacy endpoint in the study, median progression-free survival (mPFS), was 13.9 months. This was consistent with the mPFS of 11.1 months confirmed in LASER201, the study that became the basis of Leclaza’s approval. The objective response rate (ORR) was 62.1%, slightly higher than the 55.3% observed in the LASER201 study. In terms of safety, the drug was also well-tolerated, similar to previous studies. The research team explained, “ The real-world study reaffirmed the consistent effect and efficacy of Leanza as a second-line treatment for EGFR T790M mutation-positive NSCLC patients in practice.” Leclaza also showed similar efficacy in patients with the Exon19 deletion mutation (Exon19del) and the L858R substitution mutations (L858R), and the team saw no decrease in efficacy in patients whose dose was reduced. Professor Lim said, “The study holds significance for being results from the first real-world study that confirmed the efficacy and safety profile of Leclaza in NSCLC patients in Korea’s actual prescription environment.“ Lim added, “Study results showed consistent data with LASER201, the trial that was conducted for Leclaza’s approval. Along with other clinical data, these RWD results will be actively used as grounds for prescribing Leclaza to patients in practice.” In the study, Leclaza’s treatment effect was also significant in patients with brain metastasis as in the LASER201 study. The mlPFS (median intracranial progression-free survival) was 17.1 months, and ORR was 57.6%. Professor Ahn said, “Brain metastasis is found in about 25% of NSCLC patients upon diagnosis, and the condition is so common that 50% of patients eventually experience brain metastases as the condition progresses. This is why a drug’s effect in NSCLC with brain metastasis is a very important consideration in prescribing drugs for NSCLC in the field.” Professor Ahn added, "In the real-world study, Leclaza has consistently demonstrated its antitumor effect in NSCLC patients with brain metastases, and we are thus accumulating evidence to further prescribe Leclaza for those patients in Korea.”
- InterView
- The use of HTN combi tx in Korea is the highest in the world
- by May 23, 2023 05:53am
- Park Chang-kyu, Chairman of the Society of Hypertension (Korea University Guro Hospital) (photo by Dailypharm) Korea is the best in the world for complex drugs related to hypertension and hyperlipidemia. The drugs prescribed for each patient’s condition will change, but recently there is a growing trend to use complex drugs that are convenient to take.” Park Chang-gyu, chairman of the Society for Hypertension (Professor, Cardiovascular Center, Korea University Guro Hospital, 64), met with Dailypharm at the '2023 Korean Society of Hypertension Spring Conference' held at Exco in Daegu on the 20th and said this. Park Chang-gyu, president of the Society, graduated from Korea University College of Medicine and received a master's degree from the graduate school. He received a doctorate in internal medicine from Korea University School of Medicine. He was an exchange professor at the University of Ottawa, Canada. Since 2014, he has been the head of the cardiovascular center, the head of internal medicine, and the chairman of the faculty council at Korea University Guro Hospital. Since last year, he has been serving as the president of the Hypertension Society. Hypertension is one of the chronic diseases that most require lifelong treatment. This disease can lead to a healthy life through management and treatment. If it is judged asymptomatic and not treated, it can lead to fatal complications. Essential hypertension occurs in 90% of hypertensive patients. It is a disease that is difficult to treat because the cause is unknown. Efforts to control blood pressure to normal should be made for the rest of pt's life. "The trend of prescribing high blood pressure drugs has changed to prescribing a combination drug rather than giving individual drugs such as ARB or CCB," said Park. "It has already been published in papers that the combination drug is beneficial for patient treatment," Park said. Park also presented his opinion on areas where pharmaceutical companies can secure competitiveness in the complex drug market where competition is overheated. “To strengthen the competitiveness of complex drugs, first of all, the scientific basis for the treatment effect or safety is the most important,” said Chairman Park. There will be," he said. Park also said, "Some companies can coat drugs well so that side effects such as gastrointestinal disorders do not appear, and some companies can develop improved formulations for drugs that are weak to moisture and can show reasonable drug prices by improving the production process." "Considering various factors such as technology and price competitiveness, we will be able to secure the competitiveness of high blood pressure combination drugs," he said. With an increasing number of young hypertensive patients, “We will engage in community education and exchanges with global societies” Park also introduced that the number of young hypertensive patients is increasing and that active management and treatment are needed, as well as strengthened treatment guidelines. According to HIRA's health care big data, hypertensive patients aged 20 to 29 increased from 29,123 in 2017 to 42,048 in 2021, a 44.4% increase. During the same period, the number of hypertensive patients aged 30 to 39 increased by 26.6% from 166,644 to 210,890. Park plans to further publicize the revised treatment guidelines in November last year for the increasing number of young hypertensive patients and health care at the age of 100 years old. The revised 2022 hypertension treatment guidelines recommended lowering the target blood pressure to 130. The target blood pressure was lower than the previous guideline. The Society of Hypertension also gave a recommendation grade for the appropriate use of combination drugs through an amendment. This means that it is recommended to consider treatment more actively than before. Park said, “Now, except for simple hypertension, most hypertension meets the enhanced blood pressure standard.” “It was announced in November 2022, but education that introduces the reason for lowering the standard and research needs to be known more starting this year.” "he said.
- Policy
- Domestic DM combi drugs selected for market competitiveness
- by Lee, Tak-Sun May 23, 2023 05:50am
- LG Chem and Dong-A ST are attracting attention by listing their DPP4i+SGLT2i combination as benefits, lowering the amount added. It is interpreted as being conscious of price competitiveness. According to the industry on the 22nd, Dong-A ST Sugadapa set the upper limit lower than the formula based on addition. This drug is an improved new drug combination, so it was able to receive a drug price that combines 59.5% of the individual ingredients. If there is no addition, you will receive the sum of 53.5% of the individual ingredients. For example, 434 won, 59.5% of 730 won for Evogliptin 5mg and 393 won, 59.5% of 734 won for Dapagliflozin 10mg, was the amount Sugadapa could receive. Dong-A ST decided to list it at 799 won, lower than the formula. As a result, it became the product with the lowest upper limit than the SGTL2!+DPP4i complex, which was released first last month. For the same reason, LG Chem's Zemidapa was also listed lower than the added amount. Zemidapa was able to receive the sum of 68% of the individual ingredients as an innovative new drug complex. The sum of 509 won, or 68% of 749 won for Gemigliptin 50mg and 499 won, or 68% of 734 won for Dapagliflozin 10mg, was able to receive 1,008 won. Zemidapa was also listed at a lower price of 940 won. However, even though the price of Zemidapa has been lowered, the upper limit is higher than that of competing drugs. After one year, the price of the two drugs will drop to the sum of 53.55% of the individual ingredients. Sugadapa is 784 won, and Zemidapa is 794 won. In any case, this is because a lower addition than the existing formula was applied. The low pricing of the two pharmaceutical companies is attracting attention in that they usually try to get a higher upper limit. This can be interpreted as an intention to induce the market to settle down by lowering the price, as metformin + SGLT2i + DPP4i has been covered by reimbursement since April, and the SGLT2i + DPP4i combination was released for the first time in May. Moreover, it seems to be aware of the competition as not only the two domestic products but also four other complexes were released.
- Company
- SGLT2 lowers BP, but more evidence is needed to use it alone
- by Hwang, Jin-joon May 23, 2023 05:50am
- Professor Cho Ik-Seong of Severance Hospital is giving a presentation (photo by Dailypharm) There was an opinion that there is still insufficient evidence for the use of the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor, a treatment for type 2 diabetes and heart failure, for the treatment of hypertension. It can be expected to lower blood pressure in patients with heart failure or diabetes, but it is difficult to use it alone for the treatment of hypertension. Professor Cho Ik-Seong of Severance Hospital held a hypertension drug treatment update session at the '2023 Korean Society of Hypertension Spring Conference' held at EXCO in Daegu on the 20th and said, "SGLT-2 inhibitors are a drug that is attracting attention in the field of diabetes and heart failure. · For patients suffering from high blood pressure, it can act as a weak blood pressure drug," he said, "but more data are needed to use it only for high blood pressure." Famous drugs for SGLT-2 inhibitors include AstraZeneca's 'Forxiga' and Eli Lilly/Boehringer Ingelheim's 'Jardiance'. Recently, Daewoong Pharmaceutical's 'Envlo', Donga ST's 'Sugadapa', LG Chem's Zemidapa, and Chong Kun Dang's Exiglu M have been released, causing a sensation in the diabetes treatment market. SGLT-2 inhibitor drugs are evaluated as next-generation treatments globally because they have not only blood sugar-lowering effects but also cardiovascular disease prevention, weight loss, and blood pressure-lowering effects. According to the 2021 Diabetes Guidelines, in the case of type 2 diabetes accompanied by heart failure, treatment with proven cardiovascular benefit is considered first. Even in the presence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, SGLT-2 inhibitors are used in combination therapy. The Korean Heart Failure Association completely revised the guidelines last year and recommended the administration of SGLT-2 inhibitors to reduce hospitalizations or cardiovascular deaths due to heart failure, regardless of diabetes mellitus. The fact that SGLT-2 inhibitors have the effect of lowering blood pressure can be confirmed through various studies. According to the 'phase 3 study on the blood pressure and blood sugar lowering effect of dapagliflozin versus placebo on antihypertensive combination therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes' published in the international journal The Lancet, the SGLT-2 inhibitor Dapagliflozin-administered group had lower blood pressure than the placebo control group. The Hypertension Society also acknowledges that SGLT-2 inhibitors lower blood pressure. In the hypertension treatment guidelines, SGLT-2 inhibitors have a blood pressure-lowering effect, so care should be taken to see if the dose of antihypertensive drugs needs to be adjusted. Professor Ik-Sung Cho explained, "In patients without heart failure but with diabetes and high blood pressure, the use of SGLT-2 inhibitors lowered SBP by about 8 compared to placebo." Professor Cho continued, "Looking at the results of studies on patients suffering from both diabetes and heart failure, SGLT-2 inhibitors can lower SBP by 4 to 7 and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 1.5 to 2." -2 inhibitors are effective in lowering blood pressure, but it seems difficult to use them only for hypertension.”
- Company
- AZ runs a neurofibromatosis disease awareness campaign
- by Jung, Sae-Im May 22, 2023 05:42am
- AstraZeneca Korea announced on the 18th that it had conducted the 'Twinkling a Light for NF-1 Campaign' for its executives and employees to support domestic neurofibromatosis patients in celebration of 'World Neurofibromatosis Awareness Day'. The Children's Cancer Foundation designated May 17 every year as World Neurofibromatosis Awareness Day to raise social interest in neurofibromatosis. Worldwide, various activities are conducted every year to increase treatment access for patients with neurofibromatosis and support their overcoming disease. AstraZeneca Korea held in-house lectures, disease infographic exhibitions, etc. to better understand pediatric patients with neurofibromatosis in Korea, and executives and employees carried out a campaign to deliver messages of hope and commitment to improve the domestic treatment environment. Neurofibromatosis is a rare disease that causes developmental abnormalities in the nervous system, bones, and skin due to genetic mutations. The cafe-au-lait-spot is characteristic, and axillary/inguinal spots and Leish nodules, which are small hamartomas, appear on the iris. Accurate clinical diagnosis of neurofibromatosis type 1 can usually be made before the age of 10, and symptoms tend to intensify with age. About 20 to 50% of patients with type 1 neurofibromatosis experience plexiform neurofibroma, which can occur anywhere in the body except for the brain and spinal cord. Depending on where it occurs, it causes pain as well as various body deformities or damage to vision, hearing, and cognitive abilities. Surgical resection was the only fundamental treatment for neurofibromatosis. In the case of plexiform neurofibroma, it appears in various irregular shapes and is difficult to completely remove, leaving the risk of tumor recurrence even after surgery. AstraZeneca Korea received approval for Koselugo, the first type 1 neurofibromatosis treatment in Korea, in May 2021. Koselugo, the only treatment for neurofibromatosis type 1 to date, reduced the tumor size by more than 20% in 68% (34 out of 50) of patients administered in global clinical studies, and among them, 82% (28 patients) showed a response of more than 12 months. showed lasting results. Cheol-Woong Kim, Executive Director of AstraZeneca Korea's Rare Disease Division, said, "Through the Neurofibromatosis Awareness Day event, it was an opportunity to properly understand neurofibromatosis disease and think about what AstraZeneca Korea executives and employees can do for patients." said.
- Company
- Hana Pharm, signed a sub-license agreement for Byfav
- by Lee, Seok-Jun May 22, 2023 05:42am
- Hana Pharm announced on the 18th that it had signed a sub-license contract with Hyphens Pharma of Singapore for the exclusive rights to Byfavo 20mg, an anesthetic new drug. This contract is the first achievement of local partnering while Hana Pharm received licenses for six Southeast Asian countries from German PiON in 2020 and was in the process of obtaining licenses for each country. Byfavo 20mg has indications for surgical sedation that can be used for endoscopic sedation in addition to induction and maintenance of general anesthesia, which is the indication for 50mg. Hyphens Pharma of Singapore is a major pharmaceutical company in Singapore with branches in five major Southeast Asian countries and about 500 employees. Choi Tae-hong, CEO of Hana Pharm, said, "Partnering was made with Hyphens Pharma, which has excellent capabilities in the gastroenterology market in Singapore. We will accelerate the timing of approval and release in Singapore as much as possible and use it as a bridgehead to enter the Southeast Asian endoscopic sedation market."
