Daewoong Pharma seeks to expand Nabota application beyond wrinkle

[Source: Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co.]

South Korea¡¯s Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. is actively seeking to expand the application of its botulinum toxin product Nabota beyond cosmetic indications to speed up its global outreach.

Nabota is botulinum toxin product with high purity developed with patented technology, which contains more than 98 percent of the 900 kDa protein known to be the most stable and effective.

In Korea, Nabota is recognized to be effective in cosmetic indications such as improvement of glabellar lines and wrinkles around the eyes, and in the treatment of upper limb muscle stiffness and eyelid spasm after stroke.

The company in April filed a new drug application (NDA) for its use in the treatment of benign masseteric hypertrophy (square jaw) with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. In the United States, it has entered a clinical trial to prove its efficacy in migraine and cervical dystonia after winning an approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Currently, various other clinical trials using Nabota also are underway to confirm its efficacy in treatment of male-pattern hair loss, scarless thyroidectomy, treatment of epiphora, improvement in postherpetic neuralgia, sleep bruxism, hot flashes, and etc.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical¡¯s Nabota obtained U.S. FDA approval for its sale in the U.S. market for the first time among Asian botox products and expanded its foothold to 57 countries across the globe. It now is speeding up penetration to Europe and China for this year and next year.

Nabota sales surged 98 percent on year to 30.7 billion won ($24.4 million) in the first quarter of this year. Of them, 22.8 billion won came from exports, soaring 189 percent from a year-ago period. Outlook is much brighter with its upcoming forays into Europe this year, China and Australia next year, and other global markets by 2025.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical in October last year launched its second medical aesthetic lineup V-OLET (deoxycholic acid), an injectable agent to reduce excess jaw fat, and presented how to create synergy with Nabota at various symposiums at home and abroad as part of efforts to expand its presence as a medical aesthetic brand.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical shares were trading 3.22 percent higher at 176,500 won in Seoul trading by midday Friday.

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