Korea Pharma said it has concluded a deal to receive the transfer of production technology of iron deficiency anemia therapy, Accrufer (ingredient: ferric maltol), from the U.K.-based Shield Therapeutics.

On Tuesday, shield Therapeutics Vice Presidents David Childs and Jackie Mitchell visited Korea Pharma's head office and plant in Hyangnam, Gyeonggi Province, to finish the agreement of transferring technology for manufacturing Accrufer in Korea.

According to the company, Korea Pharma's Hyangnam plant for topical solutions and lotions has received GMP certification from the European Union, and its entire production facility satisfies the GMP standards.

Europe mandates on-site inspections of manufacturers' production facilities for pharmaceutical products, and EU's GMP approval from one of the member countries is recognized throughout the union. Therefore, the GMP approval is an essential qualification for companies to export the drug to European countries.

Shield Therapeutics agreed to transfer the technology of Accrufer after conducting an on-site inspection on Korea Pharma's facilities manufacturing oral capsules.

“With the recent agreement with Shield Therapeutics, Korea Pharma laid the foundation for growth as a global production base for Accrufer with reduced costs and time required for making and delivering the drug,” the company said.

Korea Pharma has been supplying GSK's Lacticare HC skin lotion since 2012 and is delivering contract manufacturing services to more than 50 clients globally.

"Shield Therapeutics has supplied Accrufer globally since it received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2019," a Korea Pharma official said. "We expect to begin manufacturing Accrufer from 2023 as we need to secure clinical data and get approval from the Ministry of Drug Safety."