Hanmi Pharmaceutical said Tuesday that it would release 2.5- and 5- milligram Gugu (ingredient: tadalafil) tablets, a treatment for prostate hypertrophy, in the Japanese market.

Hanmi’s Japanese partner Sandoz, a company specializing in generics, won the approval for Gugu tablets as the first generic drug for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in February.

Hanmi Pharmaceutical will partner with Sandoz to market benign prostatic hyperplasia drug Gugu in Japan. (Hanmi Pharmaceutical)

Gugu is the first finished oral drug developed by Hanmi and exported to Japan, the Korean company said.

Hanmi manufactures Gugu at a smart plant in Paltan, Gyeonggi Province, and supply finished drugs to Sandoz, which packs up and market them in Japan.

Annually, about 74 million tadalafil tablets for BPH are traded in Japan. Hanmi said it would continue to collaborate with Sandoz to secure the largest share of the BPH market in Japan.

“Gugu has emerged as a leader in the domestic market of urinary disease treatment with its excellent quality and trust from medical staff and patients,” a Hanmi official said. “We will work with Sandoz to produce remarkable results in new markets.”

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