Daewoong Pharmaceutical Partners with AZ to Launch Hyperlipidemia Treatment 'Crezet' in Asian Markets

Kim Sang-pyo, CEO and President of Korea AstraZeneca, and Jeon Seung-ho, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical (fourth from the left), are posing for a commemorative photo after signing an agreement for the entry of 'Creset' into the Asian market.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Daewoong Pharmaceutical is entering four Asian countries, including Indonesia, with its self-developed hyperlipidemia treatment drug ‘Crezetjeong’ in partnership with Korea AstraZeneca (AZ).

Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 28th that it signed a cooperation agreement with Korea AZ on the 27th to jointly promote the license-out of Crezet in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

The signing ceremony took place at the Korea AZ headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Seungho Jeon, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, Sangpyo Kim, President and CEO of Korea AZ, and others attended in person, while Joe Fung, AZ Asia Regional President, and presidents from Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia participated online.

Under this agreement, the two companies plan to apply for local approval of Crezet starting with Indonesia this year, followed by Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia next year. Daewoong Pharmaceutical will be responsible for obtaining and maintaining approvals, as well as production and export of the product in these countries, while Korea AZ will handle distribution and sales locally. The total hyperlipidemia market in the four countries including Indonesia is approximately $622 million (about 754.3 billion KRW), with steady demand increasing for combination drugs that improve medication convenience.

Crezet is a combination of rosuvastatin and ezetimibe, showing excellent effects in lowering LDL cholesterol, improving lipid levels, and delaying the progression of coronary atherosclerosis. Its safety has been proven through Phase 3 clinical trials, and it offers high medication convenience by being taken once daily regardless of meals. Since its launch in 2016, it has shown steady sales growth.

In particular, according to global clinical guidelines such as those from the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) and the European Society of Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society (ESC/EAS), combination therapy of statins and ezetimibe is recommended after maximum dose statin treatment. Accordingly, Crezet, a rosuvastatin-ezetimibe combination, is expected to be a treatment option for many patients who cannot tolerate high-dose statins.

Sangpyo Kim, President and CEO of Korea AZ, said, “AZ has continuously invested to grow together through cooperation with domestic partners who strive to improve healthcare. This agreement will be a new milestone in our partnership with Daewoong Pharmaceutical and we are pleased it will contribute to improving the health of patients in the Asian region.” Seungho Jeon, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, also stated, “We feel confident to collaborate with Korea AZ, which has the best market leadership in this therapeutic area and has been our long-term partner. We will advance Crezet into four Asian countries and develop this partnership into a great opportunity to cooperate beyond Korea into the global market.”

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