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- 2026-04-16 14:43:37
- Company
- Zepzelca by Boryung designated as an orphan Drug
- by An, Kyung-Jin Jul 15, 2020 06:33am
- ZepzelcaBoryung announced on the 13th that it is in the process of receiving a new drug called small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) 'Zepzelca' (Lurbinectedin) as an orphan drug. Zepzelca is an anticancer drug that Boryung has exclusive rights to domestic development and sales. In 2017, Boryung signed a technology introduction contract with PharmaMar in Spain. Since Lurbinectedin obtained a sales license from the FDA last month, it is adjusting the timing of its introduction in Korea. It is confirmed that the application of an orphan drug has been recently submitted to the MFDS and the supplementary documents have been submitted. The indication that Zepzelca has been approved for this time is for adult patients with metastatic small cell lung cancer whose disease has progressed since platinum chemotherapy. The FDA made a rapid approval decision based on data from phase II clinical trials that proved superiority in terms of safety and effectiveness through indirect comparison with the existing treatment, Topotecan. The condition is that additional phase III clinical trial data must be submitted to remain approved. Small cell lung cancer is one of the most aggressive types of lung cancer. It has been known to cause metastasis from the early stages and a high recurrence rate after treatment. Anti-cancer drugs currently approved in Korea for secondary treatment for small cell lung cancer include Novartis Korea's 'Hycamtin' (Topotecan) and Chong Kun Dang's 'Camtobell' (Belotecan). Boryung plans to apply for phase III conditional domestic permit application in the same way as the United States when the designation of an orphan drug of Zepzelca is completed. It is expected that the acquisition of a domestic license will be a new treatment option in the field of recurrent small cell lung cancer. Kim Yeong-seok, chief of anticancer drugs at Boryung said, "Small cell lung cancer is a disease with poor prognosis and limited treatment options, but if Lurbinectedin is quickly approved through the designation of an orphan drug, it is expected to provide new treatment options to domestic patients and medical staff."
- Policy
- Emergency use of KRW 5.13 mln Soliris covered for aHUS
- by Lee, Hye-Kyung Jul 15, 2020 06:32am
- Soliris (eculizumab) injection costing 5.13 million won per vial is to get coverage for an emergency administration. Korea’s Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) has recently made an additional checkbox on the preliminary approval application for Soliris. The government body issued a notice on July 10 stating an emergency administration of Soliris is newly available for patients with atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS). A patient with aHUS needing an emergency administration of Soliris can now tick off a box for ‘emergency administration’ on the preliminary approval application, as provided by the method and procedure of Soliris use (HIRA notice No. 2018-165, June 28, 2018). The existing reimbursement criteria and notice are applied the same on the emergency administration of the injection. Soliris was listed for reimbursement in 2012 for three years under the condition of differentiated pricing (refund type), and it became a subject to risk sharing agreement (RSA) since Oct. 1 2015, which a patient that paid the full expense can receive a partial refund on the drug from the pharmaceutical company. As stipulated by the National Health Insurance Act and Healthcare Reimbursement Criteria, the reimbursement on Soliris is granted to patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and aHUS. But because a single vial costs 5.13 million (as of July 2020), the recipient has to get a preliminary reimbursement approval to cover the approximate yearly cost of 400 million won for three vials per two weeks. According to the HIRA’s notice on July 10, the preliminary review committee’s bimonthly meeting is scheduled on the last Thursday of every even-numbered month. But the chair of the committee may call for a meeting on other days, if need be. The preliminary approval application and relevant data for using Soliris should be submitted by the 10th of the month of review to be processed. The healthcare institute that received preliminary approval of Soliris is also required to submit a monitoring report every six month, in which the same criteria are applied.
- Company
- Xofluza efficacy confirmed in household transmission
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Jul 14, 2020 06:12am
- A next-generation flu drug Xofluxa’s effect of preventing flu virus transmission among the patient’s household member has been confirmed. The latest edition of New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published on July 8 reported the clinical findings of Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) and its flu preventive effect. The study evaluated the flu drug’s positive post-exposure prophylaxis efficacy on household contacts by administrating Xofluza. The outcomes of post-exposure prophylactic efficacy of the drug were confirmed based on household contacts of confirmed flu patients during the 2018–2019 flu season. After identifying the index patients confirmed with influenza of their households from November 2018 through March 2019, the researchers conducted a positive rapid flu diagnostic test on the patients and administered either Xofluza or neuraminidase inhibitor as an antiviral treatment. Based on the clinical trial participants consisting of 545 influenza patients and 752 household contacts, the study screened them twice-daily for axillary temperature until day 10 since the initial influenza diagnostic test and had at least 12-year-old participants self-monitor their influenza symptoms. 95.6 percent of the participants were tested positive for influenza A, 73.6 percent were younger than 12, and 52.7 percent were administered Xofluza. Major adverse reactions in patients over age 12, such as cough and sore throat, headache, nasal discharge or congestion, feverishness or chills, muscle or joint pain, and fatigue were noted. In the age group under 12, different levels of severity was scored by identifying symptoms like cough and nasal discharge or congestion. Participants developing moderate to severe level of flu-like symptoms like fever were instructed to visit respective clinical institutes and provide their samples with nasopharyngeal swabs. The obtained sample was processed with reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) analysis to confirm influenza virus, virus type and subtype. The study’s primary efficacy endpoint was the laboratory-confirmed clinical flu, and the secondary endpoint were a ratio of RT-PCR-confirmed viral infection regardless of fever of flu-like symptoms against RT-PCR-confirmed patients with body temperature of at least 37 degrees Celsius or demonstrating at least one moderate or severe symptom. Analyzing Xofluza group of 374 participants and placebo group of 375 participants, the ratio of patients developing clinically-confirmed influenza was lower in Xofluza group against the placebo group. The outcome was noticeably contrasting between 1.9 percent in the Xofluza group and 13.6 percent in the placebo group. The efficacy was also apparent in subgroup analysis in unvaccinated, high-risk and pediatric groups. In the Xofluza group, regardless of symptoms, the influenza risk was measured 57 percent lower. Moreover, the risk of adverse reaction in both groups of Xofluza and placebo did not show significant difference at 22.2 percent and 20.5 percent, respectively. Xofluza is a next-generation influenza drug Roche released after commercializing Tamiflu two decades ago. The new endonuclease-inhibiting flu drug is highly anticipated by the market as it can treat influenza by one-dose oral administration (Tamiflu administered for five days).
- InterView
- AlphaGo will lead the development of new drugs
- by Nho, Byung Chul Jul 14, 2020 06:12am
- The director, Hwa Jong Kim "The future vision of the Center for AI-based New Drug Development Facilitation is the development of a global first in class drug that combines artificial intelligence and medical data." For Hwa Jong Kim (62 years old, director), the direction of organizational management of the Center for AI-based New Drug Development Facilitation is to present a new technological innovation paradigm and create a success model in the pharmaceutical bio industry, the country's new future. New drug development is an area of cutting-edge convergence technology that requires harmonious fusion of biology, chemistry, medicine, pharmacy, computer science, and business administration. The director Kim was in charge of establishing the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) at Kangwon National University Hospital from 2007 to 2011, and is a leading figure who led the successful Ubiquitous business of the Gangwon Provincial Government during a similar period. He is currently a professor of computer science at Kangwon National University and an adjunct professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). He is a top leader in the domestic convergence big data field. The Center for AI-based New Drug Development Facilitation, launched in March of last year, has eight employees, including six developers and two administrative office workers. In the near future, it is expected that it will finish the work of the foundation and successfully attract large-scale investments, including government and pharmaceutical bio companies. He said, “The key to the future project is to explore first in class drug candidates based on government and institutional and open health care databases with the center as the focal point. Although it is still difficult to disclose, the MOHW, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance are also showing great interest in the development of new AI drugs, and are expected to successfully attract national research funds.” The reason why the government is showing interest in new drug development projects using artificial intelligence is to achieve tangible and effective results. Launched in March 2019, the Center for AI-based New Drug Development Facilitation provided practical training that combines deep learning and new drug development, and trainees experienced the substance discovery process with a personal laptop by accessing the Google Colab cloud services. Recently, 29 public databases have been downloaded to successfully organize similarity metrics for genes, drugs, and diseases. Most notably, the Center conducted convergence research among AI program developers, pharmaceutical companies, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Social Security Information Service, the HIRA, the NHIS, Daegu Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, and research-oriented hospital. Currently, the Center for AI-based New Drug Development Facilitation has formed a 'Artificial Intelligence New Drug Development Experts Association' with 25 pharmaceutical bio companies such as Hanmi, Daewoong, and SK Biopharm, and is conducting various brainstorming. It is also noteworthy that some companies are showing rapid results that are entering the final stage of candidate selection. The era in which artificial intelligence predicted by IT experts goes beyond human intelligence and recognizes and learns for itself is about the next 30 years. Therefore, as A.I new drug development enters the stage of this transformation, the government, industry, and academia should prepare for future strategies. In particular, in the United States, fast track is being applied to new drugs for artificial intelligence development for rare diseases, so Korea is also in need of actively responding to these system improvements. He said, "We plan to do our best to develop organic and systematic AI drugs through network and communication by forming an industry-university alliance. In addition, we are sharing various innovations with leading global companies and artificial intelligence conferences as well as open innovation research and cases. We will do our best to provide the latest knowledge." Meanwhile, he has been consulting with the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the Korea Communications Commission, and has published books on the introduction of data science and big data business. Recently, LG Electronics, Korea Electric Power Corporation, LS Group, Doosan, and KB Financial are leading the cultivation of 'data scientists' necessary for corporate AI introduction and digital transformation of existing businesses.
- Policy
- Nine out of 27 patients in Remdesivir improved
- by Kim, Jung-Ju Jul 14, 2020 06:12am
- Of the 27 COVID-19 patients in Korea who took Remdesivir, 9 cases improved out of 27 patients with severe change. The positive effect was about 30%, which is only a numerical example and is still under professional review. Deputy General Manager Kwon Joon-Wook, the Central Disease Control Headquarters of the KCDC (Director, Eun-kyeong Jung), briefly explained the current status of domestic medications for Remdesivir at the regular briefing session during the day. Currently, the Central Disease Control Headquarters sent a request for special import to the Gilead Korea branch, which is a holding company of Remdesivir, and requested urgent import of 360 people for emergency use and 5000 people for preparation for the pandemic. According to Deputy General Manager Kwon, there are a total of 42 COVID-19 patients currently receiving Remdesivir. A total of 27 patients were able to detect the change in severity because the comparison between the administration group and the non-administration group was not yet completed. Nine out of 27 cases improved. However, he explained, "It is not yet known whether this improvement is due to Remdesivir or the patient's own symptomatic therapy or immunity." It was found that 15 cases were hard to judge the effect or the condition did not change, and three cases were worse. Regarding this, he emphasized again, "This is only a numerical situation, and it is necessary to seek professional judgment from the central clinical committee for the effectiveness of the treatment." Meanwhile, the Central Disease Control Headquarters applied for Remdesivir to 23 hospitals for 42 seriously ill patients, and has now completed supply to all 42 patients.
- Company
- 14 new drugs approved from Jan to June with no Korean drug
- by Jul 14, 2020 06:12am
- Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) reported total 14 new drugs have been approved from Jan 1 to June 30 this year. While none of them were a Korean-made, the absence of Korean-made new drug has continued for two years now. Pfizer Pharmaceutical Korea, Astellas Pharma Korea and Bayer Korea received the highest number of new drug approvals with two products each, and Eisai Korea, Novartis Korea, AbbVie Korea, Bayer Korea, Roche Korea, Menarini Korea, MSD Korea, Daiichi Sankyo Korea and Handok respectively received one new drug approval as well. Source: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Categorized by each month, January had the highest number of new drug approvals at four. From February to June, one, two, one, three and three new drugs were approved, respectively. By disease type, anticancer treatments (five products) had the highest number of approvals, and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors treating rheumatoid arthritis with two approvals came second. Early this year, Daiichi Sankyo’s peripheral neuropathic pain treatment Tarlige and Astellas Pharma’s rheumatoid arthritis treatment Smyraf were the first ones to receive approval. Pfizer Pharmaceutical’s antifungal Cresemba and MSD’s human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treating combination drug Delstrigo followed the next. On Feb. 14, Pfizer Pharmaceutical won the health authority’s approval on second generation non-small cell lung cancer targeted therapy Vizimpro. In March, Xospata, a FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitor indicated to treat acute myeloid leukemia by Astellas Pharma, and Ranexa, a novel angina treatment by Menarini were approved. In April, the Korean government green lit Roche’s anticancer treatment Rozlytrek that targets all solid tumors with neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene fusion. Three new drugs were cleared in May—Handok’s paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) treatment Ultomiris and Bayer’s two anticancer treatments (Nubeqa and Vitrakvi). Nubeqa is an oral androgen receptor inhibitor (ARi) indicated to treat non metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC), and Vitrakvi is orally taken selective tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) inhibitor for targeted therapy. In June, AbbVie’s rheumatoid arthritis treatment Rinvoq, Novartis’ macular degeneration treatment Beovu and Eisai’s Parkinson’s disease treatment Equifina were approved in the order. Including Novartis’ Lutathera approved on July 9, the Korean health authority has cleared 15 new drugs so far this year. No Korean-made drug approved for two years, but expecting one within this year Continuing on from last year, none of the approved drugs were made in Korea this year. Although Handok owns the license over Ultomiris, the drug was originally developed by the U.S.-based company, Alexion. Similarly, all drugs sought after approval last year by Korean companies were licensed from other global companies. HK inno.N’s (formerly CJ Healthcare) potassium competitive acid blocker (P-CAB) K-CAB approved on July 5, 2018, was the last Korean-made drug. As an osteoarthritis gene therapy Invossa’s license was revoked in 2019 and Dong-A ST withdrew licenses on two types of Sivextro, three out of total 31 Korean-made drugs were removed from the market. Finally, however, a long-awaited new Korean-made drug is expected to get approved. Daewoong Pharmaceutical is seeking for an approval on its P-CAB Fexuprazan and the application has been submitted last November. Considering the review process takes approximately ten to 12 months until the final decision, the drug is expected to get passed within this year. But the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) delaying the approval review process could bring unexpected change to the estimated approval date.
- Policy
- Forxiga's pro-drug by Dong-A ST, conducted clinical trials
- by Lee, Tak-Sun Jul 14, 2020 06:11am
- Dong-A ST recently succeeded in overcoming a material patent, and SGLT-2 suppression-based diabetes treatment Forxiga by AstraZeneca is speeding up commercialization. IND has already been approved by the MFDS in April. According to the MFDS on the 10th, IND of Dong-A ST's 'DA-2811' was approved on April 16 to confirm its equivalence with Forxiga. According to the recently published plan, DA-2811 is tested with Forxiga 10 mg (Dapagliflozin), Comparator. and a clinical trial is conducted in 60 healthy adults in the month of July at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. Clinical trials are conducted in a public, randomized, single dose, or cross-over manner to evaluate pharmacokinetic properties, safety, and tolerability compared to Forxiga. Dong-A ST's DA-2811 has no medicinal properties in itself, but when absorbed by the human body, it turns into an active ingredient and is known as a pro-drug. In a recent patent trial, Dong-A ST was the first domestic drug company to evade Forxiga's substance patent (expired on April 7, 2023) with this pro-drug. Accordingly, upon successful commercialization of the product, it laid the foundation for bringing the product to market. It is known that Forxiga's material patent specification does not include pro-drug in its scope of rights. Looking at the trial of the patent trial, Donga ST's product is a prodrug ester compound in the form of formic acid bound to the carbon at the glucose site in the Dapagliflozin molecule. It was named 'Dapagliflozin Formate' in the trial. In other words, when Dapagliflozin Formate is administered to the human body, Dapagliflozin is a drug that produces an active ingredient. Comparison of chemical formula between Forxiga (left, AZ) and prodrug (right, Dong-A ST) (Source: Patent trial decision)Because of this characteristic of the prodrug, securing the comparability with the original reference drug is interpreted as the key to commercialization. Animal model tests have been shown to demonstrate equivalence. Dong-A ST plans to successfully complete phase I clinical trials and apply for permission in the first half of next year. Dong-A ST, along with SGLT-2, possesses the DPP-4 inhibitor, Suganon, which is currently leading the diabetes treatment market, so it is likely that Forxiga's prodrug will be more competitive if it is released early.
- Company
- LG Chem launches filler's clinical trial in China
- by An, Kyung-Jin Jul 14, 2020 02:34am
- china's filler market share (Source: 2019 Samsung securities reasearch) LG Chem is launching a large-scale clinical trial in China with the new product of Yvoire, a hyaluronic acid filler brand. It is an ambition to secure the differentiation and expand the market share by preparing clinical data of Y-Solution, which was introduced as a premium line. LG Chem recently unveiled a new clinical trial plan for Yvoire Y-Solution on clinicaltrials.gov, a clinical trial registration site operated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This study is to check the effect and safety of the volume improvement of Y-Solution 720 for 238 subjects. The researchers decided to evaluate the effectiveness by confirming the MFVDS (Mid-Face Volume Deficit Scale) response rate, which is used as a measure of the volume recovery of the central part of the face, at week 26 after the injection of Y-Solution 720. The study begins in earnest from this month and is scheduled to proceed until July 2022. Professor Xiaojun Wang of Peking Union Medical College Hospital was appointed as the Principal Researcher (PI). Yvoire Y-Solution is a premium product among LG Chem's hyaluronic acid filler brand 'Yvoire'. LG Chem introduced Y-Solution series in 2018 to target the premium wrinkle improver market. According to the volume improvement effect, it is composed of three types: 'Y-Solution 360', 'Y-Solution 540', and 'Y-Solution 720'. According to the company, it is expected that the volume improvement effect will be further improved by supplementing the existing product 'Yvoire' with additional viscosity. It is interpreted as the will of LG Chem to actively target the overseas market with filler products. LG Chem started exporting to Russia in 2012 and has exported Yvoire to more than 30 countries including China, France, the UK, Italy and Mexico. China's filler market share (Source: 2019 Samsung securities report) In the case of the Chinese market, it has secured the initiative by introducing the existing Yvoire products early. According to the '2019 Healthcare Report' published by Samsung Securities, among the 7 companies that occupy the hyaluronic acid filler market in China, LG Chem and Humedix are included in Korean companies. LG Chem's 'Yvoire' market share is about 26%, and Elravie by Humedix is about 13%. It is judged that it is necessary to rapidly increase the penetration rate of the market through the launch of new products as China has rapidly emerged as a base for filler industries worldwide. LG Chem is conducting a clinical trial comparing 'Y-Solution 360' with Allergen’s Juvederm in Germany. An official from LG Chem said, "Yvoire has maintained the best selling fillers in the Chinese market by surpassing Chinese local brands and global brands for 4 consecutive years since 2016." "In the future, we plan to expand the sales of Yvre in the center of Europe and South America as a global brand" added him.
- Company
- DongKook & YuYu have challenged Dutasteride &Tadalafil
- by Kim, Jin-Gu Jul 13, 2020 06:13am
- The prostate hyperplasia & erectile dysfunction complex market competition is expected to become even hotter. Gugu tams sales by year (Unit: ₩100 million, Data: IQVIA)With only Hanmi's Gugu tams (Tamsulosin + Tadalafil ) released on the market, DongKook and YuYu Pharma have challenged. According to the pharmaceutical industry on the 13th, DongKook recently approved a clinical trial phase III IND for the development of a combination drug of prostate hyperplasia and erectile dysfunction. DongKook is developing a combination of Dutasteride-based prostate hyperplasia treatment and Tadalafil-based erectile dysfunction treatment. YuYu Pharma is slightly ahead of Dongkuk in the development situation. YuYu Pharma has started clinical trial phase III of the same combination of YY-201 in 2018. A clinical trial is underway in 942 patients with prostate hyperplasia at the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. If YuYu Pharma and Dongkuk succeed in developing the combination drug, three companies including Hanmi will compete. Gugu tams (Tamsulosin + Tadalafil)Hanmi is currently the only drug in the domestic market that has released 'Gugu tams' as the combined prostate hyperplasia and erectile dysfunction treatment. However, the ingredients are slightly different from the combination drugs that YuYu Pharma and Dongkuk are developing. The active ingredient for erectile dysfunction is same as Tadalafil, but the active ingredient for prostatic hyperplasia contains Tamsulosin, not Dutasteride. In the industry, synergy of prostate hyperplasia and erectile dysfunction is expected to be popular. This is because many patients suffer from both diseases at the same time. According to the Korean Prostate Society, 30-40% of erectile dysfunction patients in their 50s or older in Korea are accompanied by prostatic hyperplasia. According to the drug market research agency IQVIA, the annual sales of Gugu tams are ₩100 million in 2016, ₩1.1 billion in 2017, ₩1.5 billion in 2018, and ₩1.9 billion in 2019. Sales of ₩500 million were raised by the first quarter of this year. Gugu tams sales by year (Unit: ₩100 million, Data: IQVIA) Given that there are many generics in the erectile dysfunction market, this is not a bad outcome. In fact, Gugu tams ranked 11th in the treatment of erectile dysfunction in the first quarter of this year. In particular, in the first quarter of this year, the erectile dysfunction drug market decreased 4.8% year-on-year, and sales increased 5.4% YoY. For this reason, many pharmaceutical companies have developed prostate hyperplasia and erectile dysfunction in the past. Around 2015, along with Hanmi, Chong Kun Dang, Ildong, and Yungjin challenged the development of a Tamsulosin + Tadalafil combination. Yungjin started with YBH-1603 from April 2015, Chong Kun Dang with CKD-397 from June 2015, and Ildong with Double T from December 2015. They initiated Phase III clinical trials to develop a combination of Tamsulosin + Tadalafil combination. However, Hanmi is the only company that has successfully developed. The rest of the pharmaceutical companies have ended the clinical trial, but have not released it. It was reported that a drug company that entered the development at the time proved the effectiveness of Tadalafil, but did not demonstrate the efficacy of Tamsulosin.
- Company
- Eligibility for HPV vaccine Gardasil9 extends up to age 45 i
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Jul 13, 2020 06:12am
- A promotional image for prospective Gardasil9 recipients with expanded vaccination eligible age group Vaccination eligible age for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil9 has been extended up to age 45 in Korea. Pharmaceutical industry sources reported Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has approved MSD expanding the indication to vaccinate in female aged 27 to 45. Unlike the U.S., however, the Korean health authority excluded male from the eligible subject scope. The number of young patients with cervical cancer is surging in Korea. Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) reported the number of patients with cervical cancer in 2015 was at 54,603. But the figure soared by 15% in 2019 with 63,051 patients. In the same span of time, the number of patients in 20s and 30s skyrocketed by 47 percent, whereas the number in 40s and 50s was increased by 7 percent. Gardasil9 covers the most number of HPV types, in which it added five more types of HPV (Type 31, 33, 45, 52, 58) from the original Gardasil (Type 6, 11, 16, 18). In Korea, the vaccine is used in female and male aged from nine to 26 to prevent HPV-related cervical cancer, vulva cancer, vaginal cancer and anal cancer. Also the effectiveness of preventing precancerous cervical changes, dysplasia and genital warts has been recognized as well. The indication to vaccinate people aged from 27 to 45 was approved in the U.S. two years ago. In a clinical study on 3,200 women aged from 27 to 45, Gardasil9 demonstrated 88 percent prevention effect in HPV-induced cervical cancer. The study also confirmed the vaccine’s effect on male vaccine recipients. The Korean market supplier of Gardasil9, MSD Korea, is currently in a joint sales and marketing partnership with GC Pharma over the vaccine. The two companies have been in a close partnership since 2013 when they inked the shingles vaccine Zostavax co-sales deal.
