Daewoong launches GERD treatment Fexuclu in Philippines

South Korea's Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on Tuesday that it has launched the GERD treatment drug "Fexuclue" (active ingredient: Fexuprazan) in the Philippines.

With this launch in the Philippines, Daewoong Pharmaceutical has achieved its first overseas expansion of Fexuclue.

The local distribution and sales marketing of Fexuclue is managed by PNSV Asia, one of the companies under the SV More Group. SV More has been a collaborative partner handling sales and marketing for Daewoong's gastrointestinal products such as "Urusa," a liver function enhancer, and "Bearse," a digestive medicine, for over 10 years.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical began the development of Fexuclue in 2008 and finally released it last year as a potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB). It has improved on the drawbacks of existing proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs, such as slow onset of action, susceptibility to dietary influence and drug interactions.

According to the company, Fexuclue has the longest half-life among GERD treatments, lasting for 9 hours. Its extended efficacy is advantageous for improving symptoms like nighttime heartburn.

"Starting with the Philippines, we will continue to make significant inroads in the global GERD market and aim to achieve a global sales target of 1 trillion won ($780 million) by 2030," CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical Jeon Seng-Ho said. "We will secure additional indications and expand the drug's formulation for improved convenience in administration."

Write to In-hyuk Park at hyuk@hankyung.com