SK Biopharmaceuticals' epilepsy drug wins use approval from Canada

SK Biopharmaceuticals' epilepsy drug, Cenobamate [SK BIOPHARMACEUTICALS]

SK Biopharmaceuticals' epilepsy drug Cenobamate won use approval from Canada, the Korean company said Thursday.

Canadian company Paladin Labs is the local distributor of the medication under the name Xcopri.

The approval came four years after Cenobamate earned a green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May 2019.

Cenobamate is SK Biopharmaceuticals' first commercialized drug. The treatment generated 169.2 billion won ($132.1 million) in sales alone in the U.S. market last year, up 116.3 percent on year. It accounts for around 97 percent of the total sales of SK Biopharmaceuticals.

The epilepsy treatment is being sold in 18 European countries including Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Britain.

The drug is currently undergoing Phase 3 clinical trials in Korea, China and Japan. It plans to release the treatment in all three countries in 2025.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]