On December 30, Dong-A Pharmaceutical signed a licensing agreement with Medipost, regarding local sales
rights for Cartistem, an articular cartilage restroration stem cell therapeutics.
This agreement will grant Dong-A Pharmaceutical the exclusive domestic sales rights, while co-developing
and conducting clinical trials for additional indications. In return, Medipost will receive an up-front fee,
additional milestone payments and running royalties.
Cartistem is a cellular therapeutic agent treating rheumatoid arthritis and knee cartilage injury. Manufactured
through culturing mesenchymal stem cells from human cord blood, Cartistem is differentiated from other stem
cell therapeutics as it has higher mass-production potential and consistent treatment efficacy.
Near 10 years of research will end with the completion of the phase 3 clinical trial in January next year with
planning for approval and rol-out during 2011.
Since Dong-A Pharmaceutical has superb strength in noble drug development and secures domestic sales
network, the agreement is expected to bring great synergies.
