Bayer Korea said it would continue marketing Nebido, its long-acting injectable for males with testosterone deficiency, in the country, although its headquarters handed over the drug’s global rights to Grünenthal, a German pharmaceutical company.

Grünenthal has picked up the global rights for the drug for 500 million euros ($500 million).

Bayer said it moved to focus on its key areas of future medical innovation, which include oncology, cardiology, ophthalmology, and hematology.

Like many other big multinational pharmaceutical companies, Bayer has been revamping its business to focus on breakthrough innovations that can deliver long-term growth.

However, as Grünenthal has no established offshoot in Korea, market watchers and consumers have wondered about its local purchase.

“We will likely continue selling the drug in Korea for some time,” a Bayer Korea official said to Korea Biomedical Review on Friday, confirming the transfer of the global rights of Nebido to Grünenthal.

According to IQVIA, a drug market research company, Nebido garnered sales of 6.3 billion won ($4.7 million) in Korea last year, a 16.2 percent increase from the previous year.

Bayer Korea had co-marketed the drug with Chong Kun Dang since 2020 but terminated the contract last December and has been marketing the drug in Korea directly.

Nebido is a leading testosterone deficiency treatment in Korea, drawing media attention after Olympic medalist swimmer Park Tae-hwan reportedly took the drug and tested positive in a doping test in 2014. Korean prosecutors later concluded Park didn’t know he was receiving testosterone.