Handok to import treatment for rare autoimmune disorder

South Korean pharmaceutical company Handok Inc. on Wednesday said it signed a deal with Dutch immunology specialist Argenx to sell the latter's Vyvgart (active ingredient: efgatigimod), a treatment for generalized myasthenia gravis (GMG).

GMG is a chronic autoimmune disorder that weakens skeletal muscles as antibodies sever communication between nerves and muscles.

As a blocker of the neonatal Fc receptor developed by Argenx, Vyvgart has received approval as a treatment for adult patients testing positive for anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies in the US, Europe, UK, Israel and China. Under the accord, Handok will handle Vyvgart's licensing registration, payment and exclusive distribution in South Korea.

“Rare diseases such as GMG can greatly reduce the quality of life of patients and their families," Handok Chairman Kim Young-Jin said. "Handok will continue importing innovative treatments to help patients with rare diseases reduce the burden of their ailments and gain hope in life."

Handok's tie-ups with global companies seek to import medicines for unmet needs under a strategy that drives all processes for commercialization from product approval and insurance benefits to marketing and sales.

Handok has imported the medicines Pemazyre for intrahepatic bile duct cancer, Minjuvi for diffuse large B cell lymphoma and Vixios for acute myeloid leukemia.

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