'K-CAB' Dreaming of Blockbuster... Accelerating Latin America Expansion with Peru Approval

HK Innoen's new drug for gastroesophageal reflux disease, 'K-CAB' (active ingredient: Tegoprazan), has obtained marketing authorization in Peru. Having debuted in the Latin American market with its launch in Mexico, the second-largest pharmaceutical market in Latin America, in May, K-CAB plans to accelerate its penetration into the Latin American pharmaceutical market with this approval in Peru.

HK Innoen 'K-CAB Tablet'
Photo by HK Innoen

HK Innoen announced on the 24th that K-CAB received marketing authorization from the Peruvian General Directorate of Medicines, Supplies and Drugs (DIGEMID) on the 21st. In 2018, HK Innoen signed a contract to export finished K-CAB tablets to 17 Latin American countries, including Peru, with the major Latin American pharmaceutical company Laboratorios Carnot.

The product name for K-CAB in Peru has been designated as 'Ki-CAB.' The indications include four categories: ▲treatment of erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease ▲treatment of non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease ▲treatment of gastric ulcers ▲and combination antibiotic therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication in patients with peptic ulcers and chronic atrophic gastritis.

K-CAB, a potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB) class new drug for gastroesophageal reflux disease and Korea’s 30th new drug, is characterized by its rapid onset of action within 30 minutes after administration and proven efficacy and safety even with long-term use up to six months. Domestically, K-CAB recorded cumulative outpatient prescription sales of 74.1 billion KRW from January to June this year, maintaining its position as the number one drug in the peptic ulcer treatment market for three consecutive years since its launch. The total cumulative prescription sales of K-CAB from 2019 to 2022 amounted to 350.3 billion KRW.

K-CAB has expanded overseas through technology exports or finished product exports to a total of 35 countries. It has entered 18 countries in Latin America. Among these, launches have been made in five countries including Mexico, China, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. With the recent approval in Peru, plans are underway for a launch there soon. Approval processes are ongoing in other Latin American countries.

Kwack Dal-won, CEO of HK Innoen, said, "Following last year, we are continuously delivering news about K-CAB such as launches in Mexico and Indonesia and approval in Peru this year, so we expect active performance on the overseas stage." He added, "We will implement various strategies to establish K-CAB as the leading P-CAB product dominating the market in each overseas country."

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