Daewoong Bio transforms telmisartan lineup with moisture-resistant formulation to combat hygroscopicity

Daewoong Bio said the company has changed its entire lineup of tablets containing telmisartan, an ingredient for treating hypertension, into moisture-resistant tablets to solve the problem of hygroscopicity (the property of absorbing moisture) and renewed the bottle packaging.

The ingredient telmisartan absorbs moisture easily, which can cause the tablets to become sticky or dissolve if not properly managed, depending on the external environment. For this reason, the drug was previously packaged in a press through pack (PTP), where each pill is packaged individually. PTPs are individually wrapped in plastic or aluminum with a convex bulge on one side.

With this reformulation, the telmisartan lineup will be combined with other medicines in a single sachet, which reduces the need to open separate PTP packages and improves convenience.

Until now, elderly patients and those with hypertension taking multiple medications have had to split their telmisartan doses, which can be inconvenient and reduce adherence. It also can lead to problems with medication adherence.

"Although telmisartan has the advantages of excellent blood pressure-lowering effects and a long half-life, it has been distributed only in individual packages due to its vulnerability to moisture, making it less convenient to take," said Koh Jae-ho, a product manager at Daewoong Bio. "This renewal will help patients manage their blood pressure by maintaining the advantages of telmisartan and improving compliance."

Daewoong Bio's telmisartan lineup includes the ARB+CCB combination drug “Twynbeta,” the single drug “Telmibeta,” and the ARB+diuretic combination drug “Telmibeta Plus.”