SEOUL, KOREA - Merck Korea, the Korean unit of global pharmaceutical, chemical and life science company Merck, said it has signed an exclusive marketing and sales contract for Rovatitan Tab. (Rosuvastatin calcium + Valsartan), a hypertension and hyperlipidemia drug of LG Life Sciences, Korea’s leading biopharmaceutical company. Under the agreement, Merck will be responsible for marketing and distribution of the drug in Korea, while LG Life Sciences will be responsible for product supply and co-promotion for hospitals and clinics.
Rovatitan Tab. is the combination between valsartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker to treat high blood pressure, and rosuvastatin, a statin drug to treat hyperlipidemia. Using Rovatitan Tab., patients can manage hypertension and hyperlipidemia at the same time. A combination drug helps improve patient compliance compared with each of the two regimens and ease the economic burden, contributing to improving the quality of life in patients.
“Compared with valsartan monotherapy, Rovatitan Tab. has additional blood pressure lowering effects, resulting in a strong synergy in blood pressure lowering and its powerful lipidemia improvement effects can minimize the cardiovascular risk. Moreover, with the development and marketing of many combination doses, doctors can now offer a wide spectrum of treatment services and strategies for various types of patients,” said Dr. Michael Grund, Managing Director of Merck Korea, who is responsible for marketing and sales of Rovatitan Tab. “Through this contract, Merck will be able to maximize the value of the win-win partnership.”
“Under the co-promotion agreement with global pharmaceutical company Merck in Korea for our new product, both companies will add values for customers in a more specified and differentiated manner in the area of metabolic and cardiovascular treatment. We look forward to fast growth of this product as a market leader,” said Jung Il-jae, CEO of LG Life Sciences, which developed and launched Rovatitan Tab.
“With a rising number in patients with chronic hypertension and hyperlipidemia at the same time, concomitant uses of hypertension and hyperlipidemia drugs are increasing. Rovatitan Tab. can reduce the cardiovascular risk in high-risk patients by managing blood pressure and cholesterol levels at the same time from the initial phase,” said Kim Young-joo, head of biopharmaceuticals, Merck Serono, adding the rosuvastatin/valsartan combination drug will come in four doses: 10/80mg, 20/80mg, 10/160mg and 20/160mg, for patients who may require individual dose adjustment.