Developing New Drugs
Boryung Pharmaceutical is stepping up efforts to develop both biologics and chemical drugs.
According to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry on Nov. 20, Boryung Pharma is seeking to enter the biopharmaceuticals market by developing an immune cell therapy treatment through its subsidiary Vigencell.
At the same time, it intends to increase sales of its main product “Kanarb,” for which it has recently built a new production plant.
Vigencell is a successor to Oxcell Biomedical, which was established in 2013 as the first technology holdings company of Korea-based Catholic University. Last year, it was incorporated as a subsidiary of Boryung Pharma and is in the process of developing cancer immunotherapy “VT-EBV-201 (development name).” It is designed to treat “NK·T cell lymphoma,” which is a rare intractable disease and a type of blood cancer.
Boryung Pharma aims to complete the Phase 2 clinical trial of this drug by 2021 and launch it in 2022. This drug will be Boryung’s first biological drug.
The company plans to list Vigencell on the KOSDAQ in 2020, before the completion of clinical trials. The company’s goal is to secure funds for stable R&D through listing on the KOSDAQ and build a virtuous cycle to continue to develop new drugs.
In addition, Boryung Pharma is stepping up efforts to expand the domestic and overseas markets for its cash cow “Kanarb.” It has completed a new produciton plant in Yesan, North Chungcheong Province. The new plant will be in operation in next May after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspection.
Kanarb is Korea's first antihypertensive drug launched in 2011 by Boryung. Currently, the combination of Kanarb and other type of antihypertensive drug components called “Kanarb family (Kanarb, Kanarb Plus, Dukarb, and Tuvero)” is prescribed.
The new plant's production and distribution capacity is three times that of the Ansan plant. In particular, the new plant will be helpful for entering overseas markets as it is equipped with facilities that meet global standards such as cGMP and EU GMP. cGMP and EU GMP are drug manufacturing and quality control standards of the US FDA and European EMA, respectively.
Currently, Kanarb is sold in 52 countries, including Central and South America, Russia, China, and Southeast Asia. Boryung’s goal is to expand Kanarb’s market to the U.S. and Europe.