Daewoong Pharmaceutical said on the 27th that it has launched Zeltopa tablets, a JAK inhibitor–class treatment for autoimmune diseases. JAK inhibitors are drugs widely used to treat autoimmune diseases by suppressing excessively activated inflammatory signals.
Zeltopa tablets are the first generic of Pfizer's Xeljanz tablets (ingredient name tofacitinib) and have equivalent therapeutic efficacy and safety to the original. The company noted that it also improved cost-effectiveness and dosing convenience.
The 5 mg and 10 mg strengths are being launched simultaneously and cover all indications, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and ulcerative colitis (UC). The tablet size has been reduced by up to 15% compared with the original. In particular, the 10 mg strength is being launched at 8,307 won, the lowest among Xeljanz generics listed domestically to date.
Both 5 mg and 10 mg come in packs of 30 tablets, allowing prescriptions and dispensing in 30-day or 60-day units.
Park Hyeong-cheol, head of ETC marketing at Daewoong Pharmaceutical, said, "Zeltopa tablets are an alternative that can reduce patients' financial burden in a JAK inhibitor market centered on high-priced therapies," and added, "We will help patients with autoimmune diseases who need long-term medication continue treatment stably."