Korean pharmaceutical companies released polynucleotides (PN)-based intra-articular injections, heating the market competition.

Intra-articular injections are biomaterials for tissue repair, mainly made of PN extracted from the DNA of fish such as salmon and trout.

When injected into the knee joint of a knee osteoarthritis patient, the injection with a polymer material with high viscosity and elasticity acts as a buffer in the damaged area of cartilage, reduces friction, and relieves pain.

According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), Korean patients with degenerative arthritis were recorded at 4 million in 2020.

The number of patients prescribed intra-articular injections increased from 1.93 million in 2015 to 2.43 million in 2020.

The local intra-articular injection market is estimated at around 100 billion won ($81.3 million).

Pharma Research was the first to roll out an intra-articular injection, Conjuran, in 2019.

In December 2021, Daewon Pharmaceutical entered the intra-articular injection market through a co-promotion agreement with Pharma Research. Daewon sells Conjuran under the brand name, Atipul.

“Atipul is expected to create synergy effects with Pelubi Tab., an anti-inflammatory pain reliever prescribed in the orthopedics department,” an official at Daewon said.

Earlier this month, Samil Pharmaceutical released Schubelt, an intra-articular injection.

On Wednesday, GC Wellbeing launched Chonroad, another intra-articular injection.

Both Samil Pharmaceutical and GC Wellbeing emphasized that their products aimed to compete against Conjuran, after securing safety and efficacy data in a trial in Korean patients.

They said they manufacture raw materials and finished goods directly at their GMP facilities.

Humedix is also working on a PN-based intra-articular injection as one of the key R&D pipelines. The company is known to be at the final stage of a trial.

“With the increasing number of degenerative arthritis patients, the Korean intra-articular injection market is growing rapidly,” an industry official said.