Following Release in South Korea in 2016

Boryung Pharmaceutical holds a symposium on its new antihypertensive combination drug Arahkor Duo at the Papalote Museo del Nino museum in Mexico City on Aug. 15 (local time).

Boryung Pharmaceutical Co. announced on Aug. 19 that it has started selling its new antihypertensive combination drug Arahkor Duo, known as Dukarb in South Korea, in Mexico.

Arahkor Duo is the third drug that Boryung launches in Mexico after Arahkor, known as Kanarb in South Korea, in 2014 and Diarakor, known as Kanarb Plus in South Korea, in 2016.

Arahkor Duo is a fixed-dose combination drug, which combines fimasartan of the angiotensin ll receptor blocker (ARB) family, and amlodipine of the calcium channel blocker (CCB) family.

In a local phase 3 clinical trial, the drug lowered the patient’s systolic blood pressure by about 2.7 times and increased blood pressure control rate by about 50 percent compared to a single agent. It also had a similar level of safety profile compared with a single agent.

The launching of Arahkor Duo in Mexico is the first overseas launching of the drug, whose outpatient prescriptions have grown by more than 10 percent every month since its first release in South Korea in August 2016. Arahkor Duo recorded outpatient prescriptions of 18.10 billion won (US$15.06 million) in South Korea as of the end of 2018 and 12.50 billion won (US$10.40 million) in the first half of 2019 alone, according to UBIST data.

The size of the Mexican ARB+CCB antihypertensive combination drug market is estimated at US$83.78 million, according to the IMS data in 2018. Boryung Pharmaceutical and Stendahl International, a Mexican-based pharmaceutical company, aim to increase the market share to 10 percent.

During a symposium held at the Papalote Museo del Nino museum in Mexico City on Aug. 15 (local time), E. G. Cardona Munoz, professor of University of Guadalajara in Mexico who conducted the local clinical trial of Arahkor, presented his own cases of Arahkor and amlodipine combined prescriptions before the launch of Arahkor Duo.

He said, “The combination of Arahkor and amlodipine showed better effects in lowering blood pressure than a single agent. The launch of Arahkor Duo will not only improve the quality of life for hypertension patients in Mexico but will contribute to the treatment of hypertension.”

Boryung Pharmaceutical has started selling Arahkor Duo in the Mexican market in three years after it signed a license-out agreement with Stendahl International for 25 Latin American countries in September 2016.

Arahkor Duo is expected to gain approval for licensing and sale in 25 Latin American countries, except for Mexico, starting from next year.

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