SILODOSIN (Brand Name in Japan: Urief®), a Treatment for Dysuria Associated with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, to be Launched in South Korea

Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (President, CEO: Mutsuo Kanzawa) today announced that Choongwae Pharma Corporation in Seoul, South Korea, has launched silodosin (generic name) (brand name in Japan: "Urief^®") on September 1, 2009 in South Korea. Indicated to improve the signs and symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), silodosin was originally developed by Kissei with South Korea rights licensed to Choongwae.

In 2004, Kissei concluded a technology licensing-out agreement with Choongwae Pharma Corporation to provide exclusive development and marketing rights of silodosin in South Korea. Choongwae had carried out a clinical study and obtained approval for silodosin in 2008. Silodosin was listed on Korean NHI drug price list in August 2009 and was launched under the brand name Thrupas^®.　

By selectively blocking alpha 1A-adrenoceptors that primarily exist in the prostate gland, silodosin, originally developed by Kissei, removes the tension of the prostate gland to improve urethral resistance, thereby improving dysuria associated with BPH. Compared with existing drugs, silodosin offers faster onset and improves symptoms such as difficulty of urination, frequent urination, and urinary incontinence.

In Japan, silodosin has been co-developed by Kissei and Daiichi Sankyo and jointly marketed by Kissei and Daiichi Sankyo since 2006. Overseas, the drug was launched in the U.S. in April 2009 and an application was filed for a new drug in the EU in November 2008 and in China in December 2008.

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- Overview of Choongwae Pharma Corporation -
Location of head office: Seoul, South Korea
Established: 1945
Vice Chairman and CEO: Lee Kyung Ha
Capital: 23 billion won
Sales: 437.6 billion won (2008)
No. of employees: Approximately 1,200
Line of business: Development, manufacture and sales of pharmaceutical products