An orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) formulation that can be taken without water has been newly added to Ja Q Bo (ingredient name: zastaprazan), the 37th domestically developed new drug for gastroesophageal reflux disease. It dissolves quickly in the mouth and is easy to swallow, which is expected to help older patients.
Onconic Therapeutics said on the 31st that the orally disintegrating tablet formulation of the potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB) class new drug Ja Q Bo received marketing approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
Ja Q Bo tablets were approved in Apr. last year and launched domestically in Oct. of the same year, and as of the end of Sep. this year, cumulative prescriptions surpassed 34.5 billion won. In Jun. this year, an indication for treating gastric ulcers was added, and now a new formulation has been secured.
The orally disintegrating tablet was developed for older people with reduced esophageal swallowing function and for patients who need immediate dosing. In particular, considering that the mint flavor commonly used in existing ODTs can cause heartburn in reflux patients, it was replaced with an orange flavor.
With this approval, Onconic Therapeutics became the world's second corporations after HK inno.N, which developed "K-CAB," to have an orally disintegrating tablet among P-CAB class treatments for gastroesophageal reflux disease. The company said, "Having proven our development speed and technical completeness, Ja Q Bo's global competitiveness will be further strengthened."
Ja Q Bo is currently available in 26 countries, and in China, the world's largest market for gastroesophageal reflux disease, phase 3 clinical trials have been completed and a marketing application was filed in Aug.
A Onconic Therapeutics official said, "With the new formulation approval expanding Ja Q Bo's formulation lineup, we expect growth to accelerate," adding, "We will prove our competitiveness in the 40 trillion won global P-CAB market and, based on our experience developing blockbuster new drugs, speed up our follow-up pipeline as well."