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- 2026-03-19 08:09:25
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- Ex-AstraZeneca personnel snatch up top executive positions
- by Lee, Seok-Jun Feb 20, 2020 06:35am
- Former employees of AstraZeneca are favored as top executives in Korean pharmaceutical companies. The positions vary from CEO to vice-president. Korea pharmaceutical companies are aiming to expand overseas business by recruiting former AstraZeneca employees with global experience. AstraZeneca is a British multinational company. Senior Director Namgoong Hyun at GC Pharma At a stockholder’ meeting scheduled on Mar. 25, GC Pharma would discuss of appointing Senior Director Namgoong Hyun (52) as a CEO. The term would last for two years. Senior Director Namgoong has served as a Sales Director and a Marketing Executive for the Asian market at AstraZeneca. GC Pharma newly opened Marketing Department in January, 2018, and recruited her. If the stockholders grant her the position, she would be the first CEO since 1998, when GC Pharma first started filing business reports. Executive VP Pak Sang-jin at Samsung Bioepis Seven years since the establishment, Samsung Bioepis is adopting dual-vice-president system. With the latest personnel changes, head of Commercial Division Pak Sang-jin (50) was promoted as an executive vice-president (VP). Executive VP Pak has also worked at AstraZeneca. Started as a physician, he served as a general manager at GSK Germany and a president at AstraZeneca Korea, before joining Samsung Bioepis in July, 2018. Before Executive VP Pak Sang-jin was appointed, Executive VP Choi Chang Hoon (60, Head of Business Development Division) was the only Executive VP. Daewon Pharmaceutical has also recently recruited Lee Sora, another former AstraZeneca employee, as an executive director of Clinical R&D Division at its Seoul Research Center. Starting her career as a physician, Executive Director Lee Sora used to work at Hanwha Chemical, AbbVie Korea, and AstraZeneca Korea, after serving at MSD Korea, Korean office and Denmark Headquarters of Novo Nordisk. VP Son Ji-woong at LG Chem A couple of former AstraZeneca employees have taken the top commanding position at LG Chem Bioscience Division and Dongwha Pharm. In February 2017, LG Chem appointed VP Son Ji-woong (56) as a head of Bioscience Division. VP Son graduated from Seoul National University College of Medicine, and worked as an internal medicine specialist doctor at Seoul National University Hospital and as a professor at Clinical Immunology Department of Hallym University College of Medicine. His career continued as an Executive VP for Oncology Business Unit in Asia-Pacific Region at AstraZeneca, and a VP and CMO at Hanmi Pharmaceutical. President & CEO Park Kihwan at Dongwha Pharm President and CEO of Dongwha Pharm, Park Kihwan (57), joined the Korean company in last March after working at AstraZeneca. From 2003, Park was appointed as Business Unit Director at AstraZeneca Korea. Park was also appointed as General Manager of Boehringer Ingelheim Korea, Managing Director of China and South East Asia and Managing Director of Korean Office at UCB.
- Company
- Remsima SC is the idea of CEO Jung-jin Seo
- by An, Kyung-Jin Feb 19, 2020 06:35am
- View of the ECCO 2020 venue [Vienna, Austria=Reporter An, Kyung-Jin] On the 15th (local time), the annual meeting of the European Crohn's Disease Colitis Association (ECCO 2020) completed a four-day campaign. The ECCO 2020 Conference, which marks the 15th anniversary of this year, was a place to realize that K-Bio's technology has taken a step up. The launch of the first subcutaneous injection (SC) formulated biosimilar with the Infliximab has attracted the attention of attendees as local release and event timing fit exquisitely. There has also been an active debate about whether biopharmaceuticals modified with only the same ingredient should be interpreted as a biobetter. ◆The development of Remsima SC was the CEO’s idea. it was lucky Sung-Hyun Kim, Clinical Planning Team, Celltrion→Seong-hyun Kim, Celltrion's clinical planning manager, met at the ECCO 2020 conference site and said that chairman Seo Jung-jin is the key to success in developing the world's first subcutaneous injection (SC) with Infliximab. Kim, who met at the Celltrion Healthcare booth on the 14th (local time), is not aware of the question whether there is a company developing a Remsima SC competitive drug. The president’s ideas helped to begin clinical development, with good timing and luck. Jung-jin Seo, who is attached to the next pipeline, frequently meets with local medical staff in Europe. He ordered a development review after hearing the need for subcutaneous injection from nurses who used Remicade. Kim said, "There is a lot of opinion that Remicade is good in the medical field, but there is only intravenous injection type, so convenience is low. It is hoped that the emergence of subcutaneous drugs will completely change the perception of the disease". Also added, “The process was painful, but the results were good. We are waiting for feedback on the 15th of last month with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) completing the application for the Remsima SC indication”. ◆Remsima SC is a biobetter? it is Innovative Inflixmab A variety of questions have been asked when the expectation is that Infliximab subcutaneous injections can be introduced in the field of inflammatory growth disease (IBD), which is popular among young people in their 30s and 40s. As a key topic, the issue of how to approach Remsima SC, which only changed the route of administration of Remsima, between a new drug and a biosimilar, emerged as a key topic. Prof. Shomron Ben-Horin named top 10 research Prof. Shomron Ben-Horin (Tel Aviv University Sheba Medical Center, Israel) announced ECCO's 'Top 10 Highlights' program. They all agreed that Remsima SC is an advanced drug over biosimilars. It is a response to the question that whether there is no problem in accepting it as a biobetter when changing the intravenous injection into a subcutaneous injection in the auditorium immediately after the announcement of the clinical results of Remsima SC. The argument was based on the results of a one-year clinical trial of Remsima SC in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Infliximab was administered to 131 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Serum drug concentrations and therapeutic effects were maintained in both groups who received subcutaneous injections from week 6 to 54 and who received subcutaneous injections from intravenous injection at week 30. Foreign reporters from all over the venue were also noticeable The introduction of Remsima SC has enabled the 'Dual Formulation' strategy of maximizing the effect of the initial intravenous treatment and maintaining the drug effect by administering Remsima SC by patient self-administration without visiting the hospital. After the presentation, Ho-woong Kim, Head of Medical and Marketing Division, Celltrion Healthcare, said, “Since the application for the Remsima SC permit, the term biobetter was first introduced after the regulatory agency raised the need for a new track, not a new drug or a biosimilar. Recently, various terms such as 'value-added medicine' or 'innovative Infliximab' have been used. Although the terminology is different, there is no disagreement about the ultimate improvement over biosimilars". ◆Samsung's three biosimilars save EUR 1.8 billion in Europe →At this year's ECCO conference, much data about biosimilars was released. In the years since biosimilars were introduced in Europe, real world data on various clinical cases accumulated at the medical field have been released. Biogen, which is a partner of Samsung Bioepis, is supplying long-term follow-up of patients who have been prescribed biosimilars in Germany, the UK and France. There have been voices that the original drugs and biosimilars were not significantly different in terms of therapeutic effects or safety, and biosimilars were positively evaluated for their financial savings. Pharmaceuticals, insurance companies, and PBMs are competing autonomously, which is different from the US, where entry barriers were high. Early adopters of biosimilars, Europe was a contrary mood. Exhibition booth of Biogen, a partner of Samsung Bioepis A Biogen official (at the end of 2019), who met at the ECCO 2020 conference booth, was prescribed biosimilars to more than 200,000 patients. The three biosimilars that Biogen sells have saved over €1.8 billion in healthcare costs in Europe. ” Biogen has three biosimilars developed by Samsung Bioepis in Europe, including Renflexis (Remicade Biosimilar), Flixabi (Biosimilar) and Imraldi (Humira Biosimilar). Imraldi, which had released an event in October 2018, actually made annual sales of $184 million last year, the first year of its release. It is a self-diagnosis that Amgen, Sandoz and Mylan have released biosimilars at the same time, gaining market leadership with a sharp increase in sales despite the fierce competition. ◆Gastroenterologists, waiting in line at 'Remsima SC' clinical booth, it is amazed at how much things have changed Ho-Woong Kim, Head of Medical Marketing Division, Celltrion Healthcare→Ho-woong Kim, Celltrion Healthcare Director, Medical & Marketing Division, met at the meeting of ECCO 2020 on May 14 (local time), said that it is amazed at how much things have changed, just a few years ago, it was difficult to get clinical advice, but now it's completely different. Since the positive clinical results of Remsima SC were revealed at the ECCO 2018 conference last year, it is said that interest has increased enough to inquire about participation in the study abroad. Kim said, “Many researchers are curious about the background that the efficacy, immunogenicity and safety have been maintained despite the change in formulation from intravenous injection to subcutaneous injection. and the successful commercialization of high-impact Infliximab subcutaneous injections has received positive reviews”. Celltrion's experience in biosimilar products, such as Remsima and Truxima, has been accumulated for many years. In addition, quality and trust in the company also contributed to the introduction. Kim said that during the event, he had meetings with foreign researchers of the best in the field of inflammatory diseases, from full-time executives to active executives. Researchers willing to participate in the clinical trials lined up and feel their company's status has changed.
- Company
- New migraine preventive Emgality cleared in general hospital
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Feb 19, 2020 06:34am
- Korean general hospitals are swiftly implementing a new migraine preventive medication, Emgality, on their prescription drug code. According to a pharmaceutical industry insider, migraine-preventing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonist Emgality (galcanezumab) has been launched last December. And it has been passed by Drug Committees in Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, and Nowon Eulji Medical Center. The drug is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to CGRP, causing migraine symptoms in brain, and blocks its binding to the receptor. The Korean government has approved the new drug has been as the first in its class. Designated as an orphan drug in last April, the drug has been approved to market in last September. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has additionally indicated the drug as a treatment for episodic cluster headache. Emgality’s approval was based on six-month long EVOLVE-1 and EVOLVE-2 trials with 1,773 patients with episodic migraine headache (monthly average four to 14 migraine headache days (MHD)), and three-month long REGAIN trial with 1,113 patients with chronic migraine headache (monthly average 15 headache days, more than eight MHD). The two trials treating patients with episodic migraine headache for six months compared mean changes of monthly average migraine headache days from baseline (9.2 MHD in Emgality group, 9.1 MHD in placebo group) and demonstrated improved treatment effect of the drug than the placebo. For six months time in the EVOLVE-2 trial, particularly with Korean participants, 226 patients in Emgality group has reduced monthly average MHD by 4.3 days, or two days more than placebo group (450 patients) that reduced MHD by 2.3 days. Among the Emgality-treated group, 59 percent of the patients had 50 percent less MHD, 34 percent of them had over 75 percent less MHD, and 12 percent of them had 100 percent less MHD. Whereas, 36 percent, 18 percent and 6 percent of placebo-treated group had 50 percent, more than 75 percent and 100 percent less MHD, respectively. Professor Chu Min Kyung of Neurology Department at Severance Hospital explained, “Migraine headache could unimaginably damage patient’s quality of life. Patients with average four to five MHD in a month could expect to improve their quality of life with preventive treatment. While anti-hypertension and anti-epileptic medications were recommended for migraine preventive treatment, Emgality’s launch is a hopeful news to the patients.” Meanwhile, a series of CGRP-class medications have been released throughout last year. Besides Emgality, Aimovig (erenumab) co-developed by Novartis and Amgen and Ajovy (fremanezumab) by Teva have entered the market.
- Company
- JW Holdings patent pancreatic cancer diagnostic kit in US
- by Nho, Byung Chul Feb 19, 2020 06:33am
- JW Holdings has also successfully patented an early-stage pancreatic cancer diagnostic technology in the U.S. JW Holdings (CEO Han Seong Gwon) announced on Feb. 17, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a patent on source technology of the world’s first ‘multi-biomarker diagnostic kit’ that identifies pancreatic cancer in early stage through a simple blood test. From Professor Paik Young-k’s team at Yonsei University, JW Holdings licensed the innovative source technology in 2017, of a diagnostic platform testing each level of cancer with human body substance found in early and late-stage pancreatic cancer patients.. To this date, a diagnostic method of testing CA19-9, a common antibody expressed in late-stage pancreatic patient, has been used, frequently. But JW Holding is the only company in the world to own a source technology to diagnose pancreatic cancer by testing complement factor b (CFB) found in early-stage patient. After patenting the source technology in Korea in 2016, JW Holdings has patented the technology in Japan (2018) and in China and Europe (2019). With its subsidiary company JW Bioscience, JW Holdings has been developing multi-biomarker measuring kit and diagnostic algorithm, including CFB and CA19-9. And with Professor Kang Chang Moo’s research team at Severance Hospital, the Korean pharmaceutical company is to initiate an exploratory clinical trial from this year on 500 patients including pancreatic cancer patients. JW Holdings official stated, “Following the patent approval in Japan and Europe, the U.S. with highly complicated patent review standards have finally recognized the technology and rights of CFB-based early-stage pancreatic cancer diagnostic kit and completed the patent procedure. By continuing to work on the technology and commercializing it in the future, the company would lead the higher value-added global market of in-vitro diagnostics.” Taking the lives of a thousand patients a day in worldwide, pancreatic cancer is diagnosed in about 6,600 patients in Korea a year. Among all cancer types, early-stage diagnostics in pancreatic cancer is crucial as it has the lowest five-year relative survival rate of 11 percent. But, because pancreas is surrounded by other organs and early symptoms are barely noticeable, early diagnosis for the cancer has been significantly difficult. Academic societies, such as the American Association for Cancer Research, predict the pancreatic cancer would be ranked at second place for the cause of cancer patient’s death in 2020, because there is no early diagnostic marker is available until now. Market research company, Mordor Intelligence found the global pancreatic cancer treatment and diagnostics market was recorded at USD 1.73 billion (about 2 trillion won) in 2015. And they argue the market would grow up to 3.19 billion dollars (about 3.7 trillion won).
- Company
- GSK and Pfizer intensify treatment conflicts after merger
- by An, Kyung-Jin Feb 18, 2020 06:34am
- There is a friction over the integration process of Pfizer Korea and GlaxoSmithKline's Consumer Health Division. Pfizer Pharmaceutical's union raises suspicions that GSK will endorse unfair changes in working conditions in the process of employee succession. There are ten days left to launch an integrated corporation, and a possibility that variables may arise during the merger process if employees refuse to transfer largely. According to the related industry on the 14th, Pfizer Korea’s labor union had an emergency meeting with about 50 employees of Consumer Health Division in the afternoon. The intent is to seek a response to GSK's notification that Pfizer's Consumer Health Division employees must submit a written consent by this coming 17th to agree to transfer to GSK on the condition that they agree to change the disadvantage of working conditions. Pfizer and GSK Korea have been pursuing related procedures since the merger with Consumer Healthcare in 2018. As GSK establishes a joint venture with 68% of the joint venture and Pfizer's remaining 32%, GSK is committed to 100% succession of Pfizer employees. The organization of the headquarters has already completed the establishment of a joint venture and transfer of its employees in August last year, and GSK & Pfizer Consumer Health Korea is expected to launch a corporation on the 24th as the related procedure has reached its final stage. The problem arises from the fact that labor negotiations over working conditions have not progressed even though the date of incorporation is approached ten days in advance. Pfizer's union argues that GSK, the owner of the negotiating bargaining agreement, has asked Pfizer employees to change their working conditions to be 100% identical to GSK, and the gap has not narrowed. It is pointed out that the employee's options were limited because the company insisted employees should approve changes of disadvantages in working conditions if employees want to transfer with GSK for more than two months since last December On the 10th, Pfizer's labor union, Pfizer's human resources officers and GSK's human resources officers agreed that even if employees want to transfer, whether they agree to changes of disadvantages in working conditions are left to the opinion of individuals. But, they took back their words in four hours. It also uncovered that employees of Pfizer Pharmaceutical Consumer Business Division of Korea had to submit an agreement by e-mail by the 17th that they would agree to change the disadvantage of working conditions and change the retirement pension system if they want to transfer work. Yun-gyu Park, the chairman of Korea Pfizer labor union, said, “It is a serious offense to allow GSK transfers under the conditions of work conditions and retirement pension, and employees who were unilaterally notified by e-mail are not able to get out of shock”. Pfizer Korea's HR team tipped off that GSK had an attitude problem and raised objections to the headquarters. According to Park, most employees complain about the wide difference in working conditions such as benefits and ranks. For example, Pfizer has six ranks and GSK has three levels. According to the GSK standard, even if there are paid health leave, sick leave and other leave, medical expenses support, and retirement pension system, the company must bear a considerable disadvantage. Apart from the difference in the basic labor system, he also pointed out that the entire agreement contained many poisonous clauses. It was also predicted that confusion would be inevitable if the majority of the 53 members of the Consumer Health team refused to do so. It is pointed out that the launch of an integrated corporation may have a problem. The two companies have not disclosed their official position. Pfizer and GSK officials said, "There is currently no formal issue that can be revealed, except that the two companies are in the process of merging the consumer healthcare business".
- Company
- Belviq was withdrawn voluntarily by Ildong
- by Chon, Seung-Hyun Feb 18, 2020 06:34am
- Ildong Pharmaceuticals voluntarily discontinued the sale of its obesity drug, Belviq. In the United States, it was advised to withdrawal of permission because of the risk of developing cancer, and it has preemptively discontinued sales in Korea. According to the industry on the 14th, Ildong Pharmaceutical decided to stop selling Belviq in Korea. Ildong Pharmaceutical said, “The FDA recommended discontinuing sales in the US because of the increased incidence of cancer,and we are proactively discontinuing Belviq's sales and are discussing with MFDS for further actions”. In this regard, the US FDA recommended Belviq’s withdrawal. Due to the increased risk of developing cancer, and has asked Belgian developer Belviq’s developer, Eisai to withdraw of the market. The FDA said last month that the results of Belviq's safety assessment trials indicate a new increased risk of cancer during the trial. In a clinical trial involving 12,000 patients in a five-year trial to evaluate heart-related problems by Eisai, patients taking Lorcaserin(generic for Belviq) were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than those taking placebo. .In Korea, the official position of the Food and Drug Administration has not been determined in relation to Belviq's sale or discontinuation of prescriptions .Although the MFDS has not decided, Ildong plans to discontinue its sales and follow up with safety verification .Belviq was the drug that had been expected to be a safe obesity drug since its introduction to the market .Belviq, which was domestically licensed in February 2015, is a new drug approved for weight control by the FDA in 13 years .Belviq is a drug that selectively acts on the serotonin receptor, a neurotransmitter that regulates appetite and emotions, suppressing appetite and improving satiety .According to drug research institution IQVIA, Belviq ranked No.1 in obesity treatments with 2018 sales of ₩9.8 billion in Korea .After the emergence of Saxenda in the second quarter of 2018, it was handed over to the top spot for obesity treatment, but it was still regarded as a highly preferred obesity treatment .Cumulative sales for the third quarter of last year stood at ₩6.6 billion .However, the sale was put into the worst crisis due to this withdrawal .Ildong Pharmaceuticals official said, “We will implement further measures as soon as consultation with MFDS is completed, and will faithfully do all measures with the patient's health first”.
- Company
- Delstrigo by MSD was approved
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Feb 14, 2020 06:36am
- MSD aims to expand market share in AIDS According to the industry, the MFDS recently approved a fixed-dose HIV complex, Delstrigo (Doravirine, Lamivudine, Tenofovir), once daily. Delstrigo has been approved for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infections in adults without prior antiretroviral treatment. Doravirine 100mg is approved by the MFDS on November 22 2019 under the brand name 'Pifeltro' and is intended to be used in combination with other antiretroviral drugs. Both Pifeltro and Delstrigo approved indications for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection in adult patients without previous antiretroviral treatment. This drug has been validated through the DRIVE-AHEAD trial. In this trial, Delstrigo demonstrated non-inferiority to Efavirenz, Emtricitabine, and Tenofovir such as Atripla. At 48 weeks, the percentage of patients who reached virological inhibition (less than HIV-1 RNA 40copies/mL) was 84% in the Delstrigo treatment group and 80% in the EFV/FTC/TDF treatment group. The rate of discontinuation due to adverse events was 3% and 6.6%, respectively, which was lower in the Delstrigo treatment group. An MSD official said, "The company is currently preparing for Deltrigo's insurance coverage and launching. We are also planning to expand further indications".
- Company
- Celebrex, resupplied as bottles of 100 capsules
- by Jung, Hye-Jin Feb 14, 2020 06:35am
- Cerebrex capsules, which are widely prescribed for rheumatoid and osteoarthritis pain medications, run out of stock. Pfizer Upjohn Korea recently announced that Celebrex 100mg 30 unit doses were sold out to distributors and medical institutions. Pfizer Korea explained that it will be resupplyed in early April and that Celebrex 100mg bottles of 100 capsules are normally supplied This is not the first time that Cerebrex is out of stock. Pfizer announced last June that Celebrex 100mg bottles of 100 capsules were out of stock. Out-of-stock period was for 6 months, and it has been resupply since early this year. However, as soon as Celebrex 100mg bottles of 100 capsules are resupplied, Celebrex 100mg cartons of 30 capsules are running at this time. Pfizer said the reason for the out of stock was a delay in production schedule.
- Company
- 4th IL inhibitor Skyrizi takes steps towards reimbursement
- by Eo, Yun-Ho Feb 13, 2020 06:29am
- The fourth interleukin medicine in Korean market, Skyrizi has started its reimbursement listing procedure. Pharmaceutical industry sources reported AbbVie Korea recently submitted an application for reimbursement on interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor Skyrizi prefilled syringe (risankizumab). As a follow-on drug, the medication is predicted to accept the alternative drug weighted average price and promptly complete the listing process by the end of coming June. When the syringe receives reimbursement, the interleukin medicine market would be led by four competitors. Besides Skyrizi, Novartis’ IL-17A inhibitor Cosentyx (secukinumab), Lilly’s IL-17 inhibitor Taltz (ixekizumab), and Janssen’s IL-23 inhibitor Tremfya (guselkumab) are available in Korean market with reimbursement. All four medications are indicated for treating psoriasis and they are expanding indications on other autoimmune disease-treating fields. Professor Youn Sang Woong of Seoul National University Bungdang Hospital explained, “Severe psoriasis can seriously affect patient’s quality of life with physical, mental and social difficulties and pain. Each patient differs vastly in treatment response, and experiences various adverse reactions due to long-term treatment.” “During a Phase III trial, 90 percent of patient group administered with Skyrizi improved symptoms at over week 16, and 80 percent of them still maintained the improved state even after a year. The medication would be a new treatment option to improve symptoms of severe psoriasis and for maintenance therapy,” the professor added. In last December, MFDS indicated Skyrizi for treating adult patient, who needs phototherapy or systemic therapy (including biological therapy), with severe-level plaque psoriasis. Its indication was approved based on UltMMa-1 and UltMMa-2 trials, where patient group treated with Skyrizi showed high level of condition improvement at 16 weeks. 82 and 82 percent of the patients achieved Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 90 at one year (52 weeks), and 56 and 60 percent of the patients achieved PASI 100, respectively. PASI 100 indicates the patient’s condition has achieved a complete resolution. Skyrizi administration starts with 150 mg initiation dose injected subcutaneously at week 0 and 4, followed by injection at every 12 weeks. Among the biologic IL-23 inhibitor class medicines approved in Korea, the treatment has the minimum administration frequency of four times a year, and it can be injected at a hospital or a patient can self-inject after training.
- Company
- Who will distribute Lamisil?
- by Jung, Hye-Jin Feb 13, 2020 06:28am
- GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Health's 'Lamisil' distribution network is distant. All rights reserved by Dong-wha have been transferred to Ildong. Only Lamisil has been missing and haven't found a supplier for over a month. Wholesalers and medical institutions are holding back their existing inventory and are very nervous about their short expiration dates. Lamisil has not been available since January, according to retailers and pharmacies. GSK products supplied by Dong-wha until last year are 10 items including Lamisil, Otrivin, Voltaren, Nicotinell, Theraflu, Sensodyne, Brethe Right, Zantac, Polident, and Diclor. Ildong signed a co-promotion agreement on only nine items except Lamisil. As the rights were transferred from Dong-wha to Ildong, only Lamisil has been lost. The distribution industry believes that Ildong Pharm has already given up the products because of its similar efficacy. Ildong signed a co-promotion agreement with Bayer in 2013 to supply Canesten creams, vaginal tablets and powders. Canesten cream is an antifungal agent for infectious diseases, and is widely prescribed for vaginitis and athlete's foot. The two products have different ingredients, but they are both cream-type athlete's foot treatments and both are classified as 'parasitic skin disease agents'. From the standpoint of Ildong, it is likely that a pharmaceutical company would be difficult to sell two similar items, and the decision could be a violation of the contract for two companies that signed a co-promotion agreement. The problem is that the company that distributes Lamisil has not been confirmed until mid-February. Wholesaler Zuellig Pharma Korea has been negotiating with GSK since last year for a sales contract, but it is reported that it has not reached an agreement on margin. wholesalers and pharmacies suffer from Lamisil’s short stocks. Most wholesalers and pharmacies have stocks of Dong-wha, but they are in danger because they have short expiration dates. An pharmacy official said, "Because imported goods take 5~6 months from customs clearance, even if they are produced at the same time, the expiration date is 6 months shorter than domestic products and there aren't a lot of Lamisil stocks available for sale". In response, GSK explained that Lamisil will soon be resupply. GSK officials said, "The internal process related to the contract is in progress, and it is possible to resume supply as soon as the related contract is concluded. We are making every effort to minimize the impact on the market demand".
