JW Pharmaceutical announced on the 11th that its finished goods using the antibiotic raw material 'ertapenem' have received product approval from the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).
Ertapenem is a third-generation carbapenem antibiotic following first-generation penicillin and second-generation cephalosporins, used to treat various bacterial infections such as skin and soft tissue infections, pneumonia,urinary tract infections, and acute pelvic infections. This product is a generic injectable formulation, while the original drug is 'Invanz,' developed by Merck in the United States.
JW Pharmaceutical supplies the raw materials produced at its Siheung factory to its Indian partner Grand Pharma, which manufactures them into finished goods.
A company official noted, "This product approval for ertapenem in China marks an entry into the Asian market following approvals in the U.S. and Canada," adding, "It demonstrates the competitiveness of domestically produced raw materials in the field of carbapenem antibiotics, which require advanced synthetic technology."
Since the early 1990s, JW Pharmaceutical has accumulated key technologies and know-how in the field of carbapenem antibiotics. In 2004, it succeeded in developing the world's first generic formulation of imipenem, and subsequently succeeded in the in-house synthesis of meropenem, ertapenem, and doripenem, establishing a production portfolio that includes the entire carbapenem class, unique in Korea.