Daehwa Pharmaceutical announced on Monday that its Alzheimer's disease treatment, Rivamensa Patch (rivastigmine), received marketing approval from China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) on Tuesday of last week through its joint venture, JHK Biopharm.

According to the company, this approval marks the first instance of a Korean pharmaceutical company's transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) patch product receiving approval in China.

Rivamensa Patch offers several advantages, including ease of administration via patch formulation, reduced skin irritation, and improved adhesion to prevent leakage of the drug solution, it added.

“This NMPA product approval validates Daehwa Pharmaceutical's TDDS technology and quality competitiveness by China's drug regulatory authority,” a company official said.

Daehwa Pharmaceutical plans to collaborate with its joint venture JHK Biopharm, in which it holds a 25 percent stake, to establish production, quality control, and logistics systems, and to build a stable supply chain in the Chinese market. Following this approval, the company will proceed with subsequent steps, including insurance pricing, hospital registration, and marketing and distribution partnerships.