HK inno.N and Ildong Pharmaceutical are launching new formulations of cholesterol combination drugs designed to improve patient convenience and expand treatment options in the hyperlipidemia market.
According to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry on the 22nd, HK inno.N plans to launch Zepito Tablets 10/5mg, a treatment for dyslipidemia, in March. Zepito is a combination drug that combines ezetimibe, which blocks cholesterol absorption in the small intestine, with atorvastatin, which inhibits cholesterol production in the liver, to improve blood lipid levels.
Zepito Tablets 10/5mg, containing ezetimibe 10mg and atorvastatin 5mg, is a low-dose statin-based combination drug that can reduce concerns about statin-related side effects while still delivering improvements in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The product features bottle packaging to enhance medication and dispensing convenience.
Ildong Pharmaceutical plans to launch Pitaquet 1/10mg, a dyslipidemia treatment, in April. This product combines ezetimibe with pitavastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor that lowers LDL cholesterol.
The successive launches of cholesterol combination drugs by pharmaceutical companies reflect the expanding market size. According to UBIST, outpatient prescription sales of combination drugs containing atorvastatin and ezetimibe grew from 582 billion won in 2021 to 728.6 billion won in 2022, 883.7 billion won in 2023, and 1.0508 trillion won in 2024—doubling over four years.
"Blockbuster drugs are emerging one after another in the hyperlipidemia combination drug market, with Hanmi Pharmaceutical's Rosuzet and Yuhan Corporation's Rosuvamib each surpassing 200 billion won and 100 billion won in outpatient prescriptions, respectively," a pharmaceutical industry official said. "New types of combination drugs will continue to be launched going forward."