Huons Selected for National Project for the Stabilizing of the Supply of Orphan Drugs & National ...

Developing production technology for two essential drugs at risk of supply disruption

[Shin-Min Joon, Edaily Reporter] Huons of Huons Group has undertaken a national project to stabilize the supply of orphan and essential drugs and initiated efforts to expand treatment rights of patients with rare and incurable diseases in Korea.

Huons CI. (Image=Huons)

Huons announced on September 22 that the company had been finally selected as the development institution for Phase 2, Round 3 of ‘Stable Supply of National Essential Drugs’ research project, supervised by the Korea Orphan & Essential Drug Center (KOEDC).

‘Stable Supply of National Essential Drugs’ research project is a government initiative that supports technology development to ensure supply stability of drugs that are essential for patients but subject to unstable availability.

The items selected for the national project are Sodium Acetate Injection and Flecainide Injection. Huons will conduct research for one year with government funding of approximately 170 million won per item annually.

Sodium Acetate Injection is an essential drug used for the prevention and correction of hyponatremia as well as for the diagnosis of Brugada syndrome and the emergency treatment of severe cardiac arrhythmias. However due to low prescription volume and limited market size, both of these drugs are currently relying on imports. As a result, in the event of supply disruptions, a prompt response is difficult, making stable supply management at the national level essential.

Through this project, Huons plans to secure domestic production technology for these products and promote a localization strategy to establish a stable supply chain. This will create a foundation to reliably supply essential treatments to patients and contribute to strengthening the national healthcare safety net.

Huons plans to undertake this project based on its accumulated R&D capabilities and advanced manufacturing facilities in the injectable drug sector. Huons is determined to solidify its position as a leading company capable of reliably producing and supplying orphan essential drugs needed by the nation.

Huons CEO Song Soo young said “The stable supply of national orphan essential drugs is challenging if considered solely from a market perspective however approaching it from an ESG standpoint through public-private partnership is necessary to ensure patient safety and treatment rights.”

He added “Based on this project, Huons will secure high-quality production technology for orphan and essential drugs and continue to make efforts to promote public health and fulfill its social responsibilities.”

신민준 (adonis@edaily.co.kr)