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- 2026-04-11 09:37:22
- Company
- Dexeryl for atopic dermatitis lands in Korea
- by Oct 27, 2022 05:52am
- Pierre Fabre Korea announced that it had launched its medical device cream ‘Dexeryl’ in Korea on the 26th. Dexeryl is an MD cream that represents the 60-year-old French pharmaceutical company, Pierre Fabre. It is used to treat dryness of the skin and symptoms from skin conditions, such as atopic dermatitis, pruritus, diabetic foot disease, itching, psoriasis, ichthyosis, and radiodermatitis. It consists of a minimum formula of 13 ingredients that excludes the 43 types of steroids, 7 types of parabens, lanolin, or odoriferous substances. As an O/W(Oil in Water) formulation, it applies smoothly and has excellent moisturizing power. Dexeryl, called the ‘Nation’s MD cream’ in France, recorded No.1 in sales in Europe It is currently sold in 57 countries around the globe and can be prescribed at hospitals and clinics in Korea starting at the end of November. At the product launch press conference held the same day, Alain Delaurue, Global Medical Director of Pierre Fabre Group, said, “Dexeryl was developed based on our company’s extensive clinical experience and expertise, and owns clinical data on skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis published in renown journals including the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology And Venereology (JEADV).” In a clinical trial conducted on 335 children aged 2-6 years with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis, Dexeryl lowered the frequency of acute exacerbation of atopic dermatitis and steroid use compared to the patient group that did not use moisturizers or used comparators. During the clinical trial period, the rate of patients who experienced acute exacerbation more than once was 67.6% in patients who did not use MD creams, 52.6% in the control group, and 35.1% in the Dexeryl-treated group. Also, the steroid use in the Dexeryl group decreased by 57.1% compared to those that did not use any MD creams. Also, Dexeryl was found to be effective in treating xerosis, one of the major symptoms of atopic dermatitis. In a Phase III trial on 251 children aged 2-6 years with atopic dermatitis xerosis for 28 days, The Dexeryl-treated group’s lesions from xerosis improved by 42.5%. The rate was 29% for the control group. Patients who discontinue the use of MD creams during the study period showed relapse, but then showed improvement in symptoms again when resuming the use of creams. Also, regular use showed improvement even in a group of patients who did not respond to initial use, demonstrating the importance of long-term use of Dexeryl. Hye-One Kim, Professor of Dermatology at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, said, “Patients with atopic dermatitis need to regularly use moisturizers such as MD cream twice a day because their skin barrier function is damaged, even if the symptoms are invisible. Although the common perception is that MD cream is a cosmetic product due to the low awareness but for patients suffering from skin diseases, it is an important item that should be used every day like a treatment.”
- Company
- The unfinished aftershocks of COVID-19
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Oct 26, 2022 05:50am
- The market for outpatient prescription drugs was the largest ever. This year, the prescription market has grown significantly due to the expansion of prescriptions such as cold medicine due to the rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 confirmed patients. The size of Expectant prescriptions used to relieve COVID-19 symptoms has more than doubled in a year. According to UBIST, a pharmaceutical research institute, on the 25th, the total amount of outpatient prescriptions in the third quarter was 4.3011 trillion won, up 5.4% from the same period last year. The third-quarter prescription amount is the largest ever. It easily surpassed the previous new record of 4.22 trillion won recorded in the fourth quarter of last year. The domestic prescription drug market has regained its previous year's upward trend this year after the spread of COVID-19. Prescriptions in the first quarter were 4.1248 trillion won, up 6.5% from the previous year, and 5.7% from the previous year in the second quarter. The prescription amount in the first and third quarters was 12.58 trillion won, up 5.9% from the same period last year. In 2020, when COVID-19 began to spread, the size of outpatient prescriptions was 15.6365 trillion won, up 2.7% from the previous year. Last year, the outpatient prescription performance was 16.1126 trillion won, up only 3.0% from the previous year. In 2018 and 2019, the amount of prescriptions increased by 8.1% and 8.2%, respectively, compared to the previous year. The growth rate has fallen to one-third for the second consecutive year since the spread of COVID-19, which means that the growth rate of the prescription drug market is about twice as high this year compared to the past two years. The expansion of the prescription drug market this year is analyzed to be due to the rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 confirmed patients. Since the beginning of this year, there have been many COVID-19 confirmed cases, and prescriptions of antipyretic painkillers, cold medicines, and antibiotics used to relieve COVID-19 symptoms have increased significantly. The supply of cold medicine and other medicines continues to be in short supply. Recently, as tens of thousands of COVID-19 confirmed cases have occurred every day, the demand for COVID-19 symptom relief treatments is increasing. The prescription of Expectant, which is widely used for treating cough and phlegm, a representative symptom of COVID-19, has increased significantly. In the third quarter of last year, the amount of outpatient prescriptions was 70.5 billion won, up 112.5% from the same period last year. In general, Jinhae Gosamje shows a pattern of increasing use in winter and then decreasing in summer when the number of cold patients increases.The amount of expectant prescriptions in the third quarter is 35.2% higher than 52.2 billion won in the fourth quarter of last year. Recently, even though it is summer, there were more spectacular prescriptions than last winter. The amount of expert prescriptions recorded KRW 91.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019, but it began to decrease significantly in the second quarter of 2020, when COVID-19 began to spread in earnest. In the second quarter of 2020, it fell 47.6% year-on-year to 40.8 billion won, and in the third and fourth quarters, it shrank 29.8% and 50.0% from the previous year, respectively. The expectant prescription market fell to 32.2 billion won in the third quarter of last year, but then began to rebound in the fourth quarter of last year and continued to grow this year. According to Expectant's prescription performance, it was 44.1 billion won in the third quarter, up 95.0% from the previous year. The amount of expectant prescriptions recorded 54.5 billion won in the fourth quarter of 2019 but remained in the 20 billion won range from the first quarter of 2020 to the third quarter of last year. It rose to around 30 billion won in the fourth quarter of last year and recovered to the level before the COVID-19 pandemic this year. Antitussive compound drugs received 14.4 billion won in prescriptions in the third quarter, up 122.1% from the same period last year. Antitussive complex drugs decreased from 20.3 billion won in prescriptions in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 9 billion won in the second quarter of 2020, when COVID-19 began to spread in earnest. It exceeded 10 billion won in the fourth quarter of last year for the first time in seven quarters and has been on a steep rise this year. The antitussive single system recorded 16.8 billion won in the fourth quarter of 2019 but plunged to 4.1 billion won in the third quarter of last year. The prescription amount more than doubled to 14.6 billion won in the first quarter of last year and continued to grow in the second and third quarters. In the third quarter of last year, the prescription amount was KRW 12.1 billion, up 192.7% from the previous year.
- Company
- First TYK2 inhibitor Sotyktu will enter Korean market
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Oct 26, 2022 05:50am
- The oral TYK2 inhibitor for psoriasis will soon be introduced to Korea. According to industry sources, BMS Korea applied for domestic marketing authorization for its tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor ‘Sotyktu (deucravacitinib) in Korea. The drug was approved for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy by the US FDA. Sotyktu is the first TYK2 inhibitor to ever be approved in the world (first-in-class), and the first oral drug introduced in 10 years to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The approval is based on results from the Phase III POETYK PSO-1 and POETYK PSO-2 clinical trials, which compared the efficacy of once-daily Sotyktu compared to placebo and twice-daily Otezla in 1,684 adult patients aged 18 years and older with plaque psoriasis. The study demonstrated superior efficacy of Sotyktu compared to placebo at both 16 and 24 weeks, and responses with Sotyktu persisted through 52 weeks. In the POETYK PSO study, the most common adverse reactions shown in patients at 16 weeks were upper respiratory infections (19.2%), increase in blood creatine phosphokinase (2.7%), mouth ulcers (2.9%), folliculitis (1.7%), and acne (1.4%). Also, 2.4% of the patients who were administered Sotyktu and 5.2 % of the patients who were administered Otezla discontinued their treatment due to adverse reactions. When BMS acquired Celgene, the company had given up Otezla and sold it to Amgen. Ever since then, the company had focused on developing Sotyktu. Sotyktu is being studied for various autoimmune diseases including lupus, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. Priovant, which was jointly established by Pfizer and Roivant is jointly established, is also developing a TYK2 inhibitor.
- Policy
- Permission for Libtayo, a tx for skin squamous cell cancer
- by Lee, Hye-Kyung Oct 26, 2022 05:50am
- The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (Director Oh Yu-kyung) announced on the 25th that it has approved Libtayo, a rare drug from Sanofi-Aventis Korea, for skin squamous cell cancer treatment. Libtayo is a monoclonal antibody targeting cell predetermined history 1 (PD-1)*, an immune gateway receptor for immune cells (T cells). Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) is expressed in T cells, B cells, NK cells, and myeloid cells activated by inhibitory immune gate receptors belonging to the CD28 family, and plays a pivotal role in immune regulation. This drug blocks the mechanism of cancer cells avoiding immune cells (T cells) using PD-1, helping immune cells attack and remove cancer cells. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said, "We will continue to do our best to quickly supply treatments that have been sufficiently confirmed for safety and effectiveness based on regulatory science."
- Company
- Xarelto sales fall 30% due to generics and price cuts
- by Oct 26, 2022 05:50am
- The quarterly prescription of new oral anticoagulants (NOAC) containing rivaroxaban, which had reached KRW 15 billion, has shrunk to KRW 13 billion. This decrease is interpreted to be reflected by the price cut of Bayer’s original ‘Xarelto.’ Its generics that entered the market 1 year ago have been starting to slowly increase their share in the market, making KRW 2.4 billion in total. ◆Xarelto takes a direct blow from drug price cuts...Quarterly sales record KRW 11.3 billion According to the market research institution UBIST on the 25th, the domestic outpatient prescriptions of rivaroxaban recorded KRW 13.7 billion in Q3 this year, falling fell 16% compared to the KRW 16.4 billion it recorded in the same period last year. Sales of the original, Xarelto, fell 29% from KRW 15.9 billion to KRW 11.3 billion. Quarterly outpatient prescriptions of Xarelto fell from KRW 15.9 billion in Q3 last year, to KRW 15 billion in Q4, then to KRW 14.2 billion this year, to KRW 13.9 billion in Q1, then sunk to KRW 11.3 billion in Q3. This reduced sale is analyzed to have been greatly influenced by the drug price cut that had been made in August. The Seoul High Court ruled in favor of the Ministry of Health and Welfare in the lawsuit Bayer filed against MOHW to cancel the disposition on lowering Xarelto’s price. With the ruling, the drug price of all strengths(2.5·10·15·20mg) of Xarelto was reduced by 30% from August 22nd. Xarelto’s price had first been set to be reduced in May last year when the generics were first listed for reimbursement, but Bayer filed a suit on the unjustness of the price cut, claiming that the generics were released before Xarelto’s patent expiry, thus the execution of disposition should be suspended. As a result, the price cut had been suspended until the judgment on the merits. After about a year and two months, the final ruling had been made and the drug price was reduced. Considering the 30% price cut, there was no significant change in prescription volume compared to the same period last year. With this, the prescription amount of Xarelto is expected to be in the lower KRW 50 billion range. Its annual prescriptions last year were nearly KRW 60 billion. ◆Generics account for 18%...Sole lead held by Chong Kun Dang Xarelto’s generics have been increasing their influence in the market. In Q3, Xarelto generics made KRW 2.4 billion in total. In Q2 last year, the amount was KRW 0.3 billion, which rose to KRW 0.5 billion in Q3, to KRW 0.9 billion in Q4, then to the KRW 2 billion range this year. In Q1 2022, prescriptions rose to KRW 1.6 billion in Q1 and then KRW 2.1 billion in Q2. In Q3, generics have also been increasing steadily, accounting for an 18% share of the rivaroxaban market. With the sales of the generic increasing slightly and the original dropping significantly, the share of generics in the market rose 5%p from the previous quarter. Even though there was no change in the prescription amount of the original drug, the prescription amount of generics increased with the generic companies’ pioneering of new markets. Generic companies focused their marketing capabilities on local clinics as the original drug is mostly prescribed in hospitals or higher institutions. Instead of competing directly with the original, the companies focused on pioneering new markets. Although more than 60 companies have received approval for Xarelto generics, only Chong Kun Dang and Hanmi Pharmaceutical have made meaningful sales. Chong Kun Dang’s ‘Riroxia’ made KRW 0.8 billion in outpatient prescriptions in Q3, and accounted for 1/3 of the generic market. Chong Kun Dang released Riroxia in May last year, 5 months before patent expiry, and worked to preoccupy the market. Although other generic companies started to enter in October of the same year, unlike Chong Kun Dang which continuously made prescriptions after preoccupying the market, sales of the other generics remain in the KRW 0.1 billion range. Among generics, Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s ‘Riroxvan’ made KRW 0.5 billion in Q3 and is the only generic chasing Chong Kun Dang’s Riroxia’s sales in the market. Hanmi Pharmaceutical succeeded in avoiding Xarelto’s patent with SK Chemical and entered the market with generic exclusivity. Riroxvan, which sold KRW 0.2 billion in Q1, rose to KRW 0.4 billion in Q2, then KRW 0.5 billion in Q3. More than half of the approved generics have not yet released their versions in the market. With the lower dose of Xarelto (2.5mg) being listed for reimbursement from Q3, how this will affect the market is also gaining attention. 16 low-dose versions of Xarelto generics were listed for reimbursement in July. Rivaroxaban 2.5mg is mainly used in combination with aspirin to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease and peripheral arterial disease.
- Policy
- Price cut of Faslodex
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Oct 26, 2022 05:50am
- AstraZeneca's breast cancer treatment, Faslodex, will be a real match with Boryung's first generic Fulvet as it will be cut by 30% from the current upper limit starting next month due to a cut in drug prices following its entry into the generic. This is because the price has become almost similar to Boryung Fulvet, which has the same ingredients. This is a phenomenon caused by Boryung's addition to an innovative pharmaceutical company. According to industries on the 25th, AstraZeneca Faslodex will be sold at 376,724 won, down 30% from the current upper limit (538,178 won per pack) from the 1st of next month. Generic for Faslodex is Boryung Fulvet, which was registered on August 1st. Fulvet is the only generic for Faslodex in Korea imported by Boryung from India. Faslodex is a breast cancer treatment based on selective estrogen receptor decomposer (SERD) that recorded 7.5 billion won in sales based on IQVIA last year. It is used for hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer, which accounts for 80% of breast cancer, but it has not been long since it was approved in Korea in 2007, and started selling it in earnest after receiving a salary in 2019. In the meantime, it is analyzed that product competitiveness has also decreased with the emergence of new breast cancer drugs. The industry believes that there is a high possibility of growth in the future because oral CDK4/6 inhibitors such as Pfizer Ibrance and secondary treatment combined therapy are also receiving benefits. This is why Boryung introduced the first generic in India. Boryung also received additional benefits when it registered Fulvet's benefit in August. It was listed at 68% of the original upper limit. Given that general generics are set at 53.55%, the Fulvet price can be seen as high. It can be seen that the gap between the two products has almost disappeared as the original was cut to 70%. The original Faslodex is 376,724 won and the first generic Fulvet is 365,961 won, which are only about 10,000 won apart. Usually, there is a difference in drug prices because the original is set at 70% of the existing upper limit and the generic is set at 53.55%, but in the case of Fulvet, there is virtually no difference in drug prices from the first year. The two products will be the same at 288,194 won from August next year. Boryung is a leading anti-cancer drug manufacturer among domestic pharmaceutical companies, so it is predicted that it can sufficiently threaten the original with its sales power. In the future, competition between AstraZeneca and Boryung, Korea, is drawing attention.
- Opinion
- [Reporter's view] Two plays in the parliamentary audit
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Oct 25, 2022 05:46am
- A Member of Parliament asks about the need to introduce a prescription for active ingredients. Then, whether it was the Minister of Health and Welfare or the Minister of Food and Drug Safety, he replied that he sympathized with the purpose. There is a strong backlash from medical groups. This concludes the play. The same is true this year. Seo Young-seok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asked for the opinions of the Minister of Health and Welfare and the Minister of Food and Drug Safety on the introduction of a prescription for active recipients at a recently completed parliamentary audit of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee. Oh Yoo-kyung, head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, said, "I agree," and Minister Cho Kyu-hong avoided an immediate answer, saying, "I will discuss measures with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety." The screenplay is much the same and only the actor changes every year. It is hard to find sincerity in both the National Assembly and the government that has raised questions and sympathized with the purpose. The introduction of the prescription of active ingredients is discussed only during the parliamentary audit season. This year's parliamentary audit also featured plays related to lowering generic drug prices. When Choi Jae-hyung, a member of the People's Power Party, pointed out that "the price of generic drugs is higher than that of advanced countries abroad," Minister Cho Kyu-hong replied, "We will find a way to lower them step by step." The authenticity doesn't feel much. There seems to be no fierce concern about the impact of the generic drug price cut on the domestic prescription market and the pharmaceutical industry. It seems to read the written script as it is, whether it is on the side of asking or answering. In 2012, the government implemented a package of weak cuts. At that time, the National Assembly pointed out that generic drugs were too expensive, and the government reorganized the drug price system under the pretext of financial reduction of health insurance. In the end, the damage caused by this was suffered by the domestic pharmaceutical industry. This is not to say that discussions on lowering generic drug prices should begin. It is repeated every season of the parliamentary audit. It is necessary to think more deeply about how much the shock is in the process of reading and answering the set script. As it is a huge topic that will shake up the pharmaceutical prescription market and the pharmaceutical industry, there should have been time to gather opinions, whether it is a debate or a public hearing, before simple questions and answers. The National Assembly and the government are expected to repeat the parliamentary audit next year similar to this year. The play with the obvious ending is not interesting. I hope that a more sincere and novel script will be written on the stage, where the theme of health insurance fiscal reduction is to be the theme.
- Company
- Genuone challenges Trajenta’s non-listed patent...Why?
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Oct 25, 2022 05:46am
- Genuone Sciences has challenged the unlisted patents of Trajenta (linagliptin). Industry interpretations are that the move is the company’s strategy to remove uncertainties in releasing generic versions of Trajenta and to additionally attract CMO deals” According to industry sources on the 24th, Genuone Sciences filed a trial to confirm the passive scope of patent rights and invalidation trials for the 5 Trajenta patents, 3 of which are use patents set to expire in May 2027, and one substance and one process patent set to expire in April 2027. One interesting thing to note is that all these patents are not listed on Korea’s patent register. As the patents are not listed on the register, the companies will have no problem obtaining approval for their generic versions even if they do not overcome the patents. However, the situation is different in terms of releasing the products into the market. Administratively, generic drugs can be released when the listed patents expire, but this carries the burden of being involved in a patent infringement lawsuit with the original company. If the original company files an application for an injunction to block the release of the product at the same time it files the patent infringement lawsuit, the release date of generics can be delayed for companies. Also, if generic companies lose the patent infringement lawsuits, this may lead to lawsuits for damages. This is why many generic companies have been challenging unlisted patents to remove uncertainties. Genuone Sciences’ challenge of Trajenta’s unlisted patents is also interpreted to be along this line. There is also the interpretation that Genuone Sciences challenged the unlisted patents of Trajenta to attract additional CMO deals. Genuone Sciences succeeded in avoiding and invalidating the existing Trajenta patent but was unable to receive generic exclusivity (first generic marketing exclusivity) for the drug because it wasn’t able to satisfy the ‘initial request for trial’ condition. 19 companies including Alvogen Korea own generic exclusivity for Trajenta generics. In this context, other companies will be interested in the CMO manufacture of Trajenta generics if Genuone Sciences succeed in removing uncertainties by avoiding and invalidating the unlisted patents. Genuone Sciences CMO Trajenta generics for White Life Science and Pharmgen Science. The company made agreements to manufacture the 2.5mg/1000mg dose only for White Life Science, and manufactures the 5mg/500mg and 2.5mg/850mg dose for White Life Science and Pharmgen Science. By formulation, this means that the company may take on 1-2 more companies for manufacture. Trajeta is Boehringer Ingelheim’s DPP-4 inhibitor antidiabetic. Its outpatient prescription sales had been KRW 130.7 billion for the single agent (Trajenta) and combination agent (Trajenta Duo) last year. Trajenta raised KRW 94.2 billion in sales until Q3 this year. The patent for the product is set to expire in June 2024. 65 companies have overcome Trajenta's patent and received approval to manufacture its generics. The companies are expected to release their products at the time of Trajenta’s patent expiry.
- Company
- Cibinqo lands in general hospitals in Korea
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Oct 25, 2022 05:46am
- Pfizer’s second Janus kinases (JAK) inhibitor ‘Cibinqo (abrocitinib) has landed and may be prescribed at general hospitals in Korea. According to industry sources, Pfizer Korea’s new JAK1 inhibitor drug (abrocitinib) has passed the drug committee (DC) reviews of the ‘Big 5 tertiary hospitals’ of Korea including the Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul Asan Medical Center, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Asan Medical Center, and Sinchon Severance Hospital, as well as 24 medical institutions including Gangnam Severance Hospital, Korea University Guro Hospital, and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. The company applied for its reimbursement listing in April, and as the agenda passed Drug Reimbursement Standard Subcommittee deliberations in August, prescriptions will be made quickly once reimbursement is applied. However, Lilly Korea’s ‘Olumiant (baricitinib),’ and ‘Abbvie’s ‘Rinvoq (upadacitinib)’ has already been receiving reimbursement for the atopic dermatitis indication since May, and when considering how the company made the strategic move to accept the weighted average price of its alternatives, its reimbursement progress is not on the faster side. The drug, which was approved for atopic dermatitis, is Pfizer’s follow-up of ‘Xeljanz (tofacitinib)’ that is set to compete with ‘’ Lilly Korea’s ‘Olumiant (baricitinib),’ ‘Abbvie's ‘Rinvoq (upadacitinib)’ in the same indication. Olumiant and Rinvoq were approved for reimbursement in May this year, and the reimbursement listing process for Cibinqo is also in progress. Cibinqo was approved in November of last year when the reimbursement listing for Olumiant and Rinvoq was being reviewed. As a JAK1 inhibitor, the drug modulates multiple cytokines involved in the pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis, including interleukin IL-4, IL-13, IL-31, IL-22, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). It is indicated for the treatment of adults and adolescents over the age of 12 with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. Cibinqo demonstrated its efficacy through the Phase III trials JADE MONO-1, MONO-2, COMPARE, etc. The drug reduced the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) by over 70% at week 12 and demonstrated improvement in itch relief in 2 weeks after initiating treatment. Its pivotal study, JADE Mono-1, was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two doses (100 mg and 200 mg once daily) of Cibinqo monotherapy in patients 12 years of age and older with moderate-to-severe AD for 12 weeks. Results showed that 63% of the Cibinqo 200 mg administered group had achieved EASI-75 (improvement of at least 75% in lesion extent and severity) at week 12, which was a significant improvement compared to the 12% in the placebo group. Also, the rate of patients that achieved EASI-90 at week 12 had been 39% in the Cibinqo group, 5% higher than the placebo group.
- Company
- GSK has signed a sales contract with GC Pharma & Kwang Dong
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Oct 25, 2022 05:46am
- GSK has signed a joint sales contract with two domestic companies, GC Pharma and Kwang Dong, to sell the shingles vaccine Shingrix. GSK Korea announced on the 24th that it signed a Co-Promotion and Distribution Partnership for Shingrix's domestic sales and marketing on the 21st. Through this partnership, GC Pharma and Kwang Dong will jointly promote GSK's new shingles vaccine Shingrix on all distribution channels, including hospitals. GSK subsidiary is expected to strengthen its expertise in the distribution of shingles vaccines by selecting GC Pharma and Kwang Dong, which have domestic sales networks and marketing know-how accumulated in the shingles vaccine sector. "We are pleased to introduce a shingles prevention vaccine for adults over 50 and those over 18 years of age through a strategic partnership with GC Pharma and Kwang Dong, which have expertise in vaccine distribution," GSK President Rob Kempton said. Heo Eun-cheol, CEO of GC Pharma, said, "We are very happy to partner with GSK, a leading global healthcare company. Based on GC Pharma's accumulated vaccine know-how and understanding of distribution, we will work closely with GSK to provide better shingles prevention options to more people, he said. Choi Sung-won, CEO of Kwang Dong, said, "Kwang Dong has achieved various achievements for a wide range of patients and medical staff through partnerships with various domestic and foreign companies." "We will contribute to the health of the people by focusing on Shingrix the professional capabilities that GSK has developed as a vaccine distribution and marketing partner since 2015," he stressed. Meanwhile, Shingrix is scheduled to be released in Korea in December.
