[Featured Stock] JW Jungwoo Pharmaceutical's 'Actemra' Approved as COVID-19 Treatment in Europe... 'Only Domestic Seller Highlighted'

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] JW Pharmaceutical is showing strength. It appears to be influenced by the news that Roche's 'Actemra (Tocilizumab)' has been approved as a treatment for COVID-19.

As of 9:03 AM on the 8th, JW Pharmaceutical was trading at 24,000 KRW, up 1.48% (350 KRW) compared to the previous trading day.

According to foreign media, Roche's 'Actemra (active ingredient Tocilizumab)' was approved on the 7th (local time) by the European Union Commission (EC) as a treatment for severe COVID-19 patients. The EC accepted the recommendation from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) under the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and approved Actemra as a treatment for severe COVID-19. Actemra is a drug used for adult patients receiving systemic corticosteroid therapy who require oxygen supplementation or mechanical ventilation.

In major studies, patients treated with Actemra alongside standard therapy using corticosteroids showed a 31% mortality rate within 28 days of treatment. In contrast, the group receiving only standard therapy had a 35% mortality rate. Additionally, the discharge rate within 28 days was 57% for the Actemra plus standard therapy group, higher than the 50% for the standard therapy-only group.

Previously, Actemra received provisional approval as a COVID-19 treatment in Australia and emergency use authorization in the United States and Ghana. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the use of arthritis treatments such as Actemra and Sanofi's Kevzara for severe COVID-19 patients.

Meanwhile, domestically, JW Pharmaceutical holds the development and sales rights for Actemra. According to JW Pharmaceutical's quarterly report, "The phase 3 clinical trial for the rheumatoid arthritis treatment 'Actemra,' introduced from Roche Group's Chugai Pharmaceutical, has been successfully completed," and "Since its launch in January 2013, it has been sold as the only domestic pharmaceutical company product in the antibody drug market for rheumatoid arthritis treatment, which is currently led by multinational pharmaceutical companies."