LG Chem launches combination drug for diabetes, dyslipidemia in Korea

LG Chem on Wednesday launched Zemiro in South Korea.

The combination tablet simultaneously treats diabetes and dyslipidemia, a condition in which an abnormal amount of lipids exist in the bloodstream.

Developed by LG Chem’s biopharmaceuticals unit, Zemiro is a new combination tablet that merges LG’s diabetes drug Zemiglo -- a Diepeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor -- with the lipid reduction drug ingredient rosuvastatin. 

Patients who previously had to take two separate drugs can now take a single tablet of Zemiro and save more than 25 percent by receiving higher insurance benefits, LG Chem said.

Zemiro is the first combination drug of its kind to be approved and launched in Korea. Merck & Co., known as MSD outside the US and Canada, also has a similar combination drug that was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2011 -- Juvisync.

However, MSD’s Juvisync is currently unavailable in Korea, making Zemiro the only diabetes drug combining a DPP-4 inhibitor with a statin drug, according to LG Chem.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)