Bukwang Pharmaceutical to Launch Dementia Combination Drug 'AriPlus Tablets'

Exterior view of Bukwang Pharmaceutical headquarters. Photo by Bukwang Pharmaceutical

Bukwang Pharmaceutical announced on the 27th that it plans to launch the Alzheimer's disease treatment drug 'Ariplus Tab 10/20mg' (active ingredients donepezil hydrochloride hydrate + memantine hydrochloride) on the 1st of next month.

Ariplus Tab is a combination drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease containing donepezil hydrochloride and memantine hydrochloride as active ingredients.

Unlike existing treatments, the two ingredients are combined into a single tablet to allow patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease to take the medication more conveniently. Being provided in a combination form improves medication adherence and reduces the burden on patients and caregivers.

Ariplus Tab is a product jointly developed by eight companies including Bukwang Pharmaceutical, which received marketing authorization from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on December 27 last year.

A representative from Bukwang Pharmaceutical said, "Ariplus Tab is the first combination drug to combine donepezil and memantine, and it is expected to reduce the number of medications patients take, thereby improving medication convenience and therapeutic effects. We will continue to invest in research and support to provide meaningful treatment options for Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers."

They added, "With the launch of Ariplus Tab approaching, Bukwang Pharmaceutical plans to further accelerate its expansion into the central nervous system (CNS) field, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, which it has been focusing on recently."

Meanwhile, the domestic Alzheimer's disease treatment market was approximately 380 billion KRW last year based on Ubist data, with donepezil accounting for 325.3 billion KRW and memantine for 59.9 billion KRW. The rate of co-prescription of the two drugs is also increasing annually.

Due to the increase in patient numbers and aging population in recent years, the market has been growing at an average annual rate of over 5%, and is expected to exceed 450 billion KRW by 2028. Amid this growth, the introduction of combination drugs is expected to improve medication convenience for patients compared to single agents, leading to changes in market share.