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The Korea Herald
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THE INVESTOR
March 28, 2024

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Boryung, SK Chemical eye dementia patch market

  • PUBLISHED :March 29, 2017 - 16:58
  • UPDATED :March 29, 2017 - 17:01
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[THE INVESTOR] South Korean drug makers are scurrying to launch a skin patch to treat patients with severe dementia as the country faces rapidly aging population.

Boryung Pharmaceutical is developing a patch using donepezil, a medication that is approved to treat people with Alzheimer’s disease, from last year.




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The company signed a partnership agreement with Seoul-based Raphas, which develops pain-free active ingredient delivery technology using dissolving microstructures, to make a microneedle patch together.

So far, donepezil, also known as Aricept, in tablet form is one of the only drugs approved for Alzheimer’s disease in the US for patients with mild to moderate dementia. The drug acts by increasing the levels of neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

Another local drug maker SK Chemical has already domestically introduced its Wondron Patch, a generic version of Novartis’ Exelon Patch for Alzheimer’s dementia.

The company is targeting the lucrative US dementia patch market valued at 700 billion won (US$627.8 million), having filed an application with the US Food and Drug Administration to market the product in April last year.

By 2026, one in every five South Koreans will be aged 65 or older.

The global market for treatment of syndromes of dementia is valued at US$9 billion and is expected to grow to 12 billion won in 2023.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)

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