Daewoong Pharmaceutical launches the botulinum toxin product Nabota in Saudi Arabia./Courtesy of Daewoong Pharmaceutical

Daewoong Pharmaceutical officially launched its botulinum toxin (botox) product 'Nabota' in Saudi Arabia on the 31st.

Saudi Arabia is the largest market in the Middle East, with a growing interest in beauty recently. In particular, there is a high interest in K-pop and K-beauty, making it a region where growth for Korean products is anticipated. According to the global research firm Astute Analytica, Saudi Arabia's beauty and plastic surgery market is expected to grow from $7.899 billion (11.4 trillion won) in 2023 to $18.778 billion (27.125 trillion won) by 2032.

Nabota has previously obtained product approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and Health Canada, and has also completed rigorous quality assessments from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA).

Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to expand Nabota's market share locally. The premium high-purity botox produced using HI-PURE™ Technology and a vacuum drying process, patented in Korea and the U.S., received approval from the FDA in 2019, becoming the first in Asia. Nabota consists of over 98% high-purity toxin with a 900 kDa complex from the raw material manufacturing process, which rapidly and accurately implements effects while minimizing the possibility of forming inert toxins that can lead to resistance during the drying process.

Nabota has the same molecular structure (900 kDa) as AbbVie botox, which holds the top market share in Saudi Arabia, and is expected to achieve rapid product switching and market share expansion with equally superior efficacy.

Yoon Jun-soo, head of the Nabota business division at Daewoong Pharmaceutical, noted, "Nabota is the most exported high-purity and high-quality product among domestic botulinum toxins, currently obtaining product approval in 69 countries and signing export contracts with over 80 countries, showing remarkable growth in the global market. Saudi Arabia, boasting the largest scale in the Middle East, will further solidify Daewoong Pharmaceutical's presence in the Middle East and Africa markets following this Nabota launch."