Hyphens Pharma to launch Maruho’s shingles drug in ASEAN

It will commercialise Amenalief® Tab 200mg in 10 ASEAN countries.

Japan-based pharma company Maruho has granted Hyphens Pharma the exclusive rights to register and commercialise shingles treatment, Amenalief® Tab 200mg, in 10 ASEAN countries.

The drug received approval and was launched in Japan in 2017.

In Singapore, more than 90% of adults over 50 carry Varicella-Zoster Virus type 2 (VZV2), putting older individuals at a higher risk of developing shingles.

Hyphens Pharma said Maruho's medication "has a novel mechanism of action that inhibits the proliferation of VZV by inhibiting the activity of the helicase-primase complex, which is essential for viral DNA replication."

"Amenalief® has proven to be effective against VZV when administered once a day for seven days, versus standard therapies that require either three or five times dosing per day. Unlike other oral therapies, Amenalief® does not require any dosage adjustment in patients with renal impairment, a common concern in older patients," Hyphens Pharma said in a bourse filing.