Boryung has begun global sales of the cytotoxic anticancer drug Taxotere (ingredient name docetaxel), for which it acquired business rights from France's Sanofi last year.
Boryung said on the 2nd that it has closed the deal to acquire global business rights to Taxotere signed with Sanofi and has started global sales of Taxotere. As a result, Taxotere revenue will be reflected directly in Boryung's results starting this month.
The two companies signed a contract in Sep. last year to acquire global business rights to Taxotere. Through this, Boryung secured the overall global business rights for Taxotere—including marketing rights, distribution rights, regulatory approvals, manufacturing rights, and trademark rights—in 19 countries and regions, including Korea, China, Germany, Spain, South America, and the Middle East. The final deal size is up to €170 million (about 279.6 billion won).
Taxotere is a cytotoxic anticancer drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996 and is used to treat various cancers, including breast cancer, Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), prostate cancer, gastric cancer, and head and neck cancer. Its active ingredient, docetaxel, is also included on the World Health Organization (WHO) Model List of Essential Medicines.
This is the first time a Korean pharmaceutical company has acquired an entire original anticancer drug business from a global big pharma and moved to sell it directly worldwide.
Boryung previously acquired the domestic business rights to Eli Lilly's anticancer drug Gemzar in 2020 and Alimta in 2022. With the securing of Taxotere business rights, the company plans to expand its global business in the cytotoxic anticancer field in earnest.
Kim Sung-jin, Boryung's chief strategy officer (CSO), said, "The acquisition of Taxotere is meaningful not merely in obtaining a single product but in taking on a new role in the global supply chain for essential anticancer drugs," and added, "We will further strengthen our position as a global supplier directly responsible for approvals, quality, production, and distribution."