HK inno.N's new drug for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), K-CAB, has received marketing authorization in Chile.

Through technology transfer or finished product exports, K-CAB has advanced to 18 Latin American countries. In about a year, it quickly achieved results in four countries: technology exports to Brazil, product launches in Mexico and Peru, and marketing approval in Chile.

HK inno.N said Tuesday that its new drug for GERD, K-CAB (tegoprazan) has recently received a marketing authorization from the National Agency for Medicinal Products (ANAMED) under the Chilean Public Health Service (ISP). In 2018, the Korean company signed an agreement with Laboratorios Carnot, a large Latin American pharmaceutical company, to export finished K-CAB tablets to Latin American countries, including Chile.

K-CAB's brand name in Chile is Ki-CAB. It has won approval for four indications: treatment of erosive GERD, treatment of non-erosive GERD, treatment of peptic ulcer disease, and combination antibiotic therapy for the control of Helicobacter pylori in patients with peptic ulcer disease and chronic atrophic gastritis.

K-CAB has entered 35 countries through technology or finished product exports, including the United States, China, and Latin America.

In the Latin American market, it was exported to Brazil, the No. 1 pharmaceutical market, in December 2022. It was launched in Mexico, the No. 2 market, in May last year, followed by Peru in October. Up to the approval of Chile, the company has shown tangible results in four Latin American countries, speeding up its efforts to capture the Latin American pharmaceutical market, which is estimated to be over 74 trillion won ($55 billion) annually.

"In the Latin American market, which has great potential for future growth, K-CAB is rapidly gaining market share and solidifying its position as the 'No. 1 P-CAB'," HK inno.N CEO Kwak Dal-won said. “We expect K-CAB's expansion into overseas markets to accelerate further this year as we await approval in many Latin American countries."

As Korea's No. 30 new drug, K-CAB is a P-CAB-based GERD drug characterized by its rapid onset of action within 30 minutes of taking it and its efficacy and safety even when taken for up to six months.

In Korea, K-CAB has been the No. 1 peptic ulcer drug for four consecutive years since its launch, with cumulative outpatient prescription sales of 158.2 billion won last year. From 2019 to 2023, K-CAB's cumulative prescription revenue totaled 508.5 billion won.

K-CAB has been launched in seven countries -- China, Mongolia, Philippines, Mexico, Indonesia, Singapore, and Peru -- out of its 35 overseas markets