More advanced than the original, it is injected alone



Dong-A Pharmaceutical launched Monotaxel, a cancer treatment (injection) more advanced than the original.
With the active ingredient being docetaxel, Monotaxel is the only injection that can be administered alone,
making it much more convenient to administer. Unlike the original product, Monotaxel does not require
premixing with a solvent.



The product can be used to treat seven types of cancer, i.e., breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer
(NSCLC), prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, head and neck cancer, stomach cancer, and esophageal cancer.




Dong-A developed an anhydride, a technologically very challenging feat, rather than a trihydrate, which would
have raised an issue with the patent right to the original drug. This prevented any possibility of patent conflicts.
A Dong-A insider says, “In order to enter the large cancer drug market, we considered patent issues and
market competitiveness from the initial development stage. Monotaxel is a marketable R&D outcome, more
evolved than the original drug with its own strengths. It is expected to gain on market share rapidly.”



In 1990, Dong-A derived DA-125, a candidate for further development as a cancer treatment, Korea’s first-ever
candidate for an original drug. Last year, Dong-A built an EU-GMP-level cancer treatment plant in the Banwol
Industrial Complex and started producing epirubicin, a raw material for cancer treatment for export.



In 2008 alone, 68,912 people died of cancer in Korea, representing 28 percent of total deaths and making cancer
the nation’s leading cause of death. The economic losses caused by cancer exceed 14 trillion KRW annually,
and its socioeconomic burden is sharply increasing. Last year, the cancer treatment market of Korea
surpassed 500 billion KRW. It has been growing at a high rate of 20 percent every year, indicating its
tremendous industrial potential going forward.