Handok
holds commemoration ceremony for new plaster production plant

On June 27, 11AM, Handok (CEO, Youngjin
Kim) held a commemoration ceremony for its new plaster production plant located
in Eumseong, Chungbuk. Handok secured the rights to the arthritis patch Ketotop
through its acquisition of Pacific Pharmaceutical’s Pharmaceutical division, and
with the new plaster plant, the pharma company will be able to independently
manufacture the patch.

Handok invested around KRW 30 billion in
its plaster plant to begin the construction of the new plaster plant last June
2015, and received GMP approval from the KFDA on June 19, 2017. The plaster
plant is a state of the art manufacturing facility with an operation system
that meets global quality standards, and with an area of 7,632㎡, has the capacity to manufacture
up to 390 million patches a year. The new plant will contribute to the manufacturing
of Ketotop as well as new line up products developed by Handok, and also
manufacture new patch products targeting the global market.

The new plaster plant is equipped with
eco-friendly facilities and smart factory infrastructure. The company invested
KRW 1.2 billion to install an RTO (Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer) which reduce
air pollutant emissions by incinerating flammable organic compounds created
during the manufacturing process. Automated devices for transporting organic
solvent and low-noise, low-vibration manufacturing devices were also installed
to promote a healthier working environment for factory employees. Additionally,
the plant is equipped with a manufacturing execution system (MES), building
management system (BMS), automated storage and release system, and automated
inspection system that manage all the information and data derived during the
manufacturing process.

Youngjin Kim, CEO of Handok, stated, “With
the completion of this plaster production plant, we have set up a platform to
elevate Ketotop to a global brand and strengthen the Eumseong plant’s
competitive edge,” adding, “Ketotop has been the leader in the percutaneous
absorption medication market over the past 20 years. Now armed with
self-producing capability and capacity, Ketotop will cement its dominance in
the transdermal drug delivery system market.”

Handok is continuing its growth since the
acquisition of Ketotop. Ketotop recorded a 30 percent sales increase in 2016
compared with 2015 and a 40 percent increase in the first quarter of this year
compared with the same period of 2016. Handok also expanded its exports to
Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam this year, and plans to further diversify its
export destinations to other Asian countries as part of its efforts to make the
product a global brand.