EUSA Pharma is entering the Korean market

EUSA Pharma is active this year after the establishment of its corporation in the second half of last year

Raise awareness of multiple Castleman's disease

EUSA Pharma, a British pharmaceutical company specializing in rare diseases, announced its full-fledged entry into the Korean market.

 

EUSA Pharma plans to directly supply the existing domestic approved Castlemans disease treatment, Sylvant (Siltuximab), while also accelerating the introduction of new rare disease treatments.

 

EUSA Pharma held a press conference at The Plaza in Seoul on the 13th and announced its ambition to improve its recognition of Castlemans danger and enter the Korean market.

 

EUSA Pharma is a pharmaceutical company specializing in rare diseases established in the UK in 2015.

 

It was established as EW Healthcare Partners Funding, an investment company specializing in life science.

 

As of June last year, global sales were recorded at 130 million euros.

 

The number of employees around the world is about 250.

 

In the first half of last year, the Asia-Pacific regional headquarters was established in Korea and the Korean subsidiary EUSA Pharma was launched in the second half of last year.

 

Korea is the first region outside Europe and the U.S.

 

where EUSA Pharma has entered.

 

The Korean corporation consists of a total of seven executives and employees.

 

Lee Yeon-jae, CEO of EUSA Pharma

CEO Lee Yeon-jae (46) was appointed as the integrated general manager of the EUSA Pharma Asia-Pacific headquarters and the Korean subsidiary.

 

CEO Lee has worked as CEO of UCB Pharmaceutical Korea and executive director of Sanofi-Aventis Korea's rare blood disease business division through Novartis Korea and Daewoong Pharmaceutical.

 

The representative item of EUSA Pharma is Silvant, a Castlemans disease treatment that was approved in Korea in 2015 and is being applied to benefits.

 

EUSA Pharma acquired Sylvant from Jansen in 2020 and has global copyright.

 

In Korea, Samoh is the right to import and sell, and EUSA Pharma will be in charge of supplying and marketing Sylvant.

 

Regarding the background of EUSA Pharma's entry into Korea, CEO Lee said, "The Asia-Pacific region, especially Korea, is considered an important market for the company as multiple Castlemans disease diagnosis and treatment are actively conducted." He explained, "Korea is not a country with a large number of patients compared to the population, but thanks to the medical staff's efforts to find and diagnose patients, it is considered the best country to diagnose and treat multiple Castleman disease after the United States and Italy." EUSA Pharma's first activity is to create an environment where patients can be diagnosed faster by raising awareness of multiple Castleman disease.

 

Multiple Castlemans disease is a rare blood disease that causes organs such as lymph nodes, liver with lymphatic tissue, and spleen to enlarge due to excessive proliferation of lymphocytes.

 

According to Jeon Young-woo, a professor of blood medicine at Yeouido St.

 

Mary's Hospital, it takes about 27.5 months for patients to be diagnosed with multiple Castlemans disease.

 

Due to the low awareness of the disease and low specific symptoms, it is often diagnosed only after the disease has progressed considerably.

 

There are about 150 annual patients in Korea, but it is speculated that there will be more hidden patients who have not yet been diagnosed.

 

If you do not receive proper treatment early, there is a high risk of developing lymphoma.

 

27% of patients are diagnosed with cancer within 2 to 5 years after diagnosis of multiple Castlemans disease.

 

In the case of idiopathic multiple Castlemans disease, 35% of patients died within 5 years.

 

Professor Jeon said, "Even within the medical staff, the recognition of multiple Castlemans disease is not very high, so diagnosis is very difficult unless it is tested for a purpose." After the lymph nodes become enlarged, it can be said that the disease has already progressed to seriousness," he explained.

 

Professor Jeon said, "As long as early diagnosis is done well, various drugs such as Sylvant can be used to treat it.

 

In particular, if Sylvant is used for more than six months, symptoms improve dramatically, and permits and benefits are applied as the first treatment in Korea.

 

We can suspect Castlemans disease as an early test, and we should try to raise the awareness of medical staff and patients," he said.

 

EUSA Pharma plans to make efforts to introduce the treatment Dinutuximab beta, which targets another rare disease, high-risk neuroblastoma, in Korea.

 

CEO Lee said, "We are currently preparing screening data for Dinutuximab beta permission." Meanwhile, as Global EUSA Pharma was acquired by Recordati at the end of last year, changes are expected in its Korean subsidiary.

 

CEO Lee said, "We are discussing organizational charts and development strategies for each country, and major commercial organizations have been reorganized." CEO Lee added, "There is a possibility that the name of the company will be changed, and it is expected to be finalized at the end of this year."