Mundipharma has acquired the exclusive rights for Invossa-K in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Australia and New Zealand from Kolon Life Sciences. Invossa-K is a non-surgical treatment for osteoarthritis pain with long-term efficacy that has been hailed as the world’s first cell-mediated gene therapy for the disease.

According to the World Health Organisation, osteoarthritis is the single most common cause of disability in older people with an estimated 10%-15% of all people over 60 suffering from it. Currently, its prevalence is increasing. By 2050, 130 million people worldwide are projected to suffer from the disease – 40 million of whom will be severely disabled.

This massive unmet patient need made it a priority for Mundipharma and Kolon Life Sciences to further extend its partnership into these new territories. The two entities first signed an agreement for Invossa-K in Korea – where it was first approved by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2017 – and have recently signed similar agreements to bring the therapy to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Japan.

Mundipharma CEO, Raman Singh, said: “We are always looking to identify areas in which we can make the most difference. While we will go through the rigorous process of conducting clinical trials and getting Invossa-K approved in these countries, it is very satisfying to think of the millions of patients who will benefit from this revolutionary medicine in the near future following these agreements.”

“We are delighted to extend our partnership with Kolon Life Science. This is a prime example of how our partners can effectively leverage the strength of our network and experience to ensure that hospitals, GPs and patients have access to new breakthrough treatments such as Invossa-K” he added.

Invossa-K is an intra-articular injection that is a non-surgical treatment option, which demonstrates sustained pain reduction and functional improvement of articular joint for one year following a single injection – based on a US phase II clinical trial and a Korean phase III clinical trial.

Under the terms of the partnership, Mundipharma is responsible for the development, marketing and distribution of Invossa-K to medical professionals and hospitals in the agreed territories.

“Mundipharma’s global R&D, sales and marketing capability in the area of pain management makes it an ideal partner to establish successful pathways into new markets,” said Woo-Sok Lee President and CEO, Kolon Life Sciences. “They are an ideal partner to help establish Invossa-K in these territories as we look to scale this breakthrough therapy as a global standard treatment option.”