LG’s diabetes drug on way to global expansion

LG Life Sciences, the biopharmaceuticals unit of LG Group, is out to swiftly commercialize its self-developed diabetes treatment Zemiglo in new markets around the world.

In partnership with France-based pharmaceutical giant Sanofi and Mexico’s Stendhal, the Korean drugmaker is preparing to export its new drug to 104 countries where it has already received sales approval or is undertaking preceding processes.

LG Life Sciences is scheduled to begin selling Zemiglo in five countries in Central America and India from next month, with plans to expand into new markets in the Middle East and Africa by next year.

“We plan to bring Zemiglo to Iran and other countries in the Middle East, considered key markets for new biopharmaceutical products, before the end of 2017,” said a LG Life Sciences spokesperson.

For now, LG’s new diabetes drug will be launched in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Costa Rica and India from this March. Zemiglo is expected to next enter Kazakhstan, Nigeria and Kuwait, where the drug has already received official sales approval.

LG’s biopharma affiliate plans to step up its efforts to promote Zemiglo’s effectiveness globally by hosting more academic symposiums and strengthening its local marketing efforts, with aims to aid the drug’s smooth entry into new markets.

Last year, the drugmaker hosted its own Zemiglo symposium at the 2015 European Association for the Study of Diabetes (ESAD) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden. It was the first Korean drugmaker to independently organize such an event.

This year, the firm will present the results of Zemiglo’s clinical studies to the U.S. Endocrine Society, the American Diabetes Association and the ESAD, among others.

Exclusively developed by LG Life Sciences, Zemiglo (gemigliptin) is a Type II diabetes drug that lowers and controls a patient’s blood sugar levels.

Delivering treatment effects with just one 50-milligram tablet a day, the drug increases convenience for patients, according to the company.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)