Dong-A ST is set to enter the Australian and New Zealand markets with its epilepsy treatment, Cenobamate (marketed as Xcopri). The company has opted for a licensing-out model, transferring local development, approval, and sales rights, marking a significant expansion of its global business strategy. This move is particularly noteworthy as it represents the first instance of Dong-A ST exporting a product that was initially sourced from abroad.
On June 10, Dong-A ST announced that it has signed a technology export agreement for Cenobamate with Arrotex Pharmaceutical, a leading pharmaceutical company in Australia. Arrotex has an extensive distribution and sales network across Australia and New Zealand and operates a dedicated marketing team for central nervous system (CNS) products, enhancing its competitiveness in the epilepsy treatment market.
Under this agreement, Dong-A ST will transfer the development and sales rights for Cenobamate in Australia and New Zealand to Arrotex, which will handle local approval and commercialization. Dong-A ST will produce and supply the finished product.
In January 2024, Dong-A ST entered into a licensing-in agreement with SK Biopharmaceuticals for Cenobamate, covering 30 countries including South Korea, Southeast Asia, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and Turkey. The company obtained domestic product approval for Cenobamate in November 2025 and is currently in the process of securing reimbursement listings.
According to the company, Cenobamate works by inhibiting sodium channels involved in excitatory signal transmission and enhancing GABAA receptor function, thereby regulating neuronal hyperexcitability and normalizing the balance between excitatory and inhibitory signals. In multinational clinical trials involving adult patients with partial-onset seizures, those treated with Xcopri demonstrated significant reductions in seizure frequency and complete seizure freedom rates, proving its efficacy.
Jae-Hoon Jung, CEO of Dong-A ST, emphasized, "We will expand our overseas market presence and strengthen our global competitiveness based on various global business models and partnerships."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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