Telcon RF Pharmaceutical "Emmaus Receives Israeli Approval for SCD Treatment Sales"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] TelconRF Pharmaceutical affiliate Emmaus Life Sciences (hereinafter Emmaus) is expanding its entry into the Middle East and North Africa region, starting with sales approval in Israel.

On the 30th, TelconRF Pharmaceutical announced that Emmaus received sales approval for the sickle cell disease (SCD) treatment Endari from the Israeli Ministry of Health.

SCD is a hereditary disease caused by abnormalities in hemoglobin within red blood cells, which prevents proper oxygen delivery. Endari was approved as a new drug for SCD treatment by the U.S. FDA in 2017. It is also the world's first SCD treatment that can be prescribed to pediatric patients.

According to Emmaus, sales approval from the Saudi Arabian Food and Drug Authority is also being pursued. The estimated number of SCD patients in Saudi Arabia is approximately 225,000.

Meanwhile, TelconRF Pharmaceutical is the second largest shareholder with an 8.5% stake in Emmaus. In June 2017, it acquired the supply rights for the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) from Emmaus and supplies L-glutamine, the main raw material of Endari. A TelconRF Pharmaceutical official stated, “We hold the API supply rights for 25% of Endari's total production volume,” and added, “As the number of Endari sales destinations outside the U.S. is increasing, additional supply is expected in the future.”