Dong-A ST enters UAE with anemia-treatment biosimilar, launching Middle East push

[Financial News] Dong-A ST is stepping up its push into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) market with Dabecron, its biosimilar for treating anemia. With sales rising in Japan and commercialization now underway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the company’s overseas business is expanding.
 Dong-A ST said on the 12th that Dabecron, a biosimilar of darbepoetin alfa, a second-generation anemia treatment (development code: DA-3880), has entered the UAE market.
 Local operations will be handled by UAE pharmaceutical company Julphar. The two companies signed a licensing agreement in November 2024 covering 18 MENA countries. Julphar is responsible for product approvals and commercialization in the region. After securing UAE product approval last June, it has moved ahead with local operations.
 The UAE is the first country in the MENA region where Dabecron has been commercialized. Dong-A ST plans to work with Julphar to gradually expand the countries in the region where the product is approved and supplied.
 Dabecron is a biosimilar developed based on darbepoetin alfa. It is used to treat anemia in patients with chronic kidney failure and anemia caused by anticancer chemotherapy.
 The product is already generating sales in Japan. In 2014, Dong-A ST transferred the rights to develop and sell DA-3880 in Japan to Japan’s Sanwa Kagaku Kenkyusho (SKK), and the product received manufacturing and marketing approval in 2019. Sales in Japan rose by about 62%, from 16.5 billion won in 2024 to 26.7 billion won last year.
 Dong-A ST is pursuing its business according to the market and regulatory strategy in each country. It is pursuing business with a Nesp biosimilar in Japan, MENA and Türkiye, while developing an Aranesp biosimilar for major markets such as the United States and Europe.
 A Dong-A ST spokesperson said, “We plan to expand the number of countries in the MENA region where we have approvals and supply products, using the UAE as a base,” adding, “We will also continue development aimed at entering major markets such as the United States and Europe.”

[email protected] Jung Sang-hee Reporter