Osaka, Japan, October 12, 2012 - Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Head
Office: Osaka; President & CEO: Isao Teshirogi, Ph.D.;
hereafter "Shionogi" or "the Company") today announced that
it began to supply Pirespa® 200mg tablet
(generic name: pirfenidone) to ILDONG PHARMACEUTICAL Co.,
Ltd. (Head Office: Seoul; Chairman & CEO: Jung-chi Lee;
hereafter "ILDONG") for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary
fibrosis (IPF) in South Korea from the end of September,
2012. Pirespa® is commercially available in
South Korea through ILDONG since October 8, 2012.
Shionogi developed pirfenidone for the treatment of IPF in
Japan after entered into the in-licensing agreement with the
U.S.-based Marnac, Inc. and KDL, Inc., Tokyo in 1997. The
Company received a marketing and manufacturing approval of
pirfenidone for IPF in Japan in October and launched it as
Pirespa® in December, 2008. It was the first
time for the product to become available all over the world.
Pirfenidone has a new mechanism of action which can directly
inhibit fibrosis and the product is
expected to reduce the progression of IPF. The product has
already been used for a lot of patients with
IPF as a new treatment option.
For the patients with IPF in South Korea, Shionogi and ILDONG
entered into the licensing agreement for the sale of
pirfenidone in May, 2011, and ILDONG had developed the
product and received the approval after a fast track
procedure as an orphan drug at the end of July, 2012. For the
launch of Pirespa® by ILDONG in October,
Shionogi began to provide the product to ILDONG at the end of
September, 2012.
Shionogi will continue to support the treatment of patients
with IPF by the stable supply of Pirespa® as
well as by the provision of its accumulated clinical data in
Japan, and to cooperate closely with ILDONG for the
establishment of further clinical evidence of the product in
Asia.
Establishment: Representative: Head Office: Description of
Business:
March 14, 1941
Chairman & CEO, Jung-chi Lee
60, Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul
ILDONG is a South Korean pharmaceutical company with the
philosophy of "Excellence and Contribution to the Health and
Happiness of Mankind", and which has worked to develop,
produce and distribute superior
pharmaceutical products for 70 years. In particular, ILDONG
is viewed as a
1
leading company in the production of vitamins, lactobacillus,
antibiotics, and gastrointestinal preparations.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a medical condition of
unknown etiology with poor prognosis in which progressive
fibrosis of the alveolar walls produces irreversible
"honeycomb lung*". In general, restrictive
impairment (reduction of vital capacity (VC) and total lung
capacity (TLC)) is evident. As the symptom (fibrosis of the
alveolar walls) progresses, gas exchange in the lungs
(exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide) becomes difficult. In
some cases, oxygen therapy becomes necessary. Because of
its severity, IPF is designated as a "specified disease" (in
other words, an intractable disorder).