Daewoong Pharmaceutical Indonesian Corporation Obtains Halal Certification for Anemia Treatment Drug

Daewoong Pharmaceutical's Indonesian joint venture Daewoong Infion's anemia treatment Epodion

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 6th that its Indonesian joint venture Daewoong Infion's anemia treatment drug 'Epodion' has received halal certification from the local certification authority.

Daewoong Infion is a joint venture established in 2012 by Daewoong Pharmaceutical and the local company Infion. It built Indonesia's first biopharmaceutical factory in Surabaya to produce and sell Epodion. The company explained that Epodion is the first local biosimilar (biopharmaceutical generic drug), and this is the world's first case of a halal certification being granted to an animal cell-derived biopharmaceutical.

This drug is an anemia treatment for patients with chronic renal failure such as those undergoing dialysis and cancer patients. It obtained sales approval from local authorities in 2016 and was launched in April of the following year. The company stated that it captured the number one market share locally within six months of launch and currently holds over 40% market share.

Halal certification for biopharmaceuticals is more complicated than for synthetic drugs. The company formed a separate team to prepare for halal certification immediately after Epodion was approved. They applied for halal certification in October 2017 and received the certification after about two years, including a factory inspection last year. The global Muslim population is approximately 1.8 billion, with a high population growth rate and a large market size, making the halal market highly promising across all sectors including pharmaceuticals.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, and the authority that granted the halal certification this time, Mui, is considered one of the top three halal certification bodies along with agencies in Malaysia and Singapore. The company plans to obtain certification for all products produced locally, including epidermal growth factor and growth hormone preparation Caretropin, which are currently preparing for approval. Seo Chang-woo, CEO of Daewoong Infion, said, "Daewoong Pharmaceutical will use the halal certification in Indonesia, the largest Islamic country, as a stepping stone to enter the Middle Eastern pharmaceutical market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.