Daewoong and Chong Kun Dang Jointly Sell 'Pexuclu' "Targeting 300 Billion KRW Sales by 2030"

Daewoong Pharmaceutical has started co-marketing the new drug Pexuclu for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with Chong Kun Dang.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical's new drug for gastroesophageal reflux disease, Pexuclu [Photo by Daewoong Pharmaceutical]

Daewoong Pharmaceutical and Chong Kun Dang announced that they will jointly market Pexuclu, a potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB) class drug for the treatment of GERD, starting from the 1st.

Pexuclu was approved as Korea’s 34th domestic new drug by Daewoong Pharmaceutical in 2021 and was launched in July of the following year. As of February, it recorded a cumulative prescription amount of 77.6 billion KRW, continuing its growth trend, and holds the second highest market share among single products in the GERD treatment market. The company stated, "This achievement was accomplished with the single indication of erosive GERD treatment," adding, "With the expansion of insurance coverage for gastritis indications this year and the full-scale joint marketing with Chong Kun Dang, the prescription amount of Pexuclu is expected to grow significantly once again."

Chong Kun Dang previously achieved the number one market share by co-marketing another domestic P-CAB new drug, K-CAB, with HK Innoen until last year. The two companies plan to leverage this collaboration to achieve annual domestic sales of 300 billion KRW by 2030 and increase the market share of P-CABs to drive overall growth.

P-CAB drugs like Pexuclu overcome the drawbacks of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which have traditionally dominated the GERD treatment market. Although PPIs suppress gastric acid secretion, their main active ingredients require acid secretion to be effective, which is an ironic limitation. Therefore, PPIs must be taken before meals and have a delayed onset of action. In contrast, P-CABs block acid secretion regardless of meal timing, allowing them to be taken anytime. They also have the advantages of rapid and prolonged efficacy, leading to a quick increase in market share. In particular, Pexuclu has a half-life of 9 hours, the longest among domestic GERD treatments, providing long-lasting effects and alleviating nighttime heartburn symptoms.

Lee Chang-jae, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, said, “Leveraging our experience in successfully launching P-CAB new drugs, we will spare no effort to bring Pexuclu closer as an effective treatment option for GERD patients,” adding, “We aim to make this collaboration a model and success story of co-growth within the industry and use it as a stepping stone to realize the ‘one product, one team’ vision for Pexuclu.” Kim Young-joo, CEO of Chong Kun Dang, also stated, “Chong Kun Dang has already successfully launched P-CAB products in the market and grown them into blockbuster drugs,” and added, “We will devote all efforts to lead the domestic GERD treatment market by synergizing the rich know-how accumulated in the P-CAB market with the strong sales and marketing capabilities of both companies.”