Legadex, a combination drug for liver disease treatment. [Provided by Bukwang Pharmaceutical]
Legadex, a combination drug for liver disease treatment. [Provided by Bukwang Pharmaceutical]

Bukwang Pharmaceutical's liver disease combination drug Legadex has surged to second place in the market by prescription volume just one year after its launch, rapidly emerging as a major force in the liver drug segment.

Bukwang Pharmaceutical said Thursday that Legadex — a combination liver disease drug containing ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and biphenyl dimethyl dicarboxylate (DDB) — ranked second in the liver disease combination drug market by prescription volume within one year of its launch.

According to pharmaceutical market research firm UBIST, cumulative prescriptions of Legadex reached 6.98 million tablets in the first half of this year (January–June). Total cumulative prescriptions since the product's initial launch in June last year have reached 11.17 million tablets.

Legadex is the first combination drug introduced as an extension of Legalon, Bukwang Pharmaceutical's flagship liver disease treatment containing silymarin. It combines UDCA and DDB in a single tablet. A key feature is the synergy between UDCA — which supports improvement of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), a liver function marker, through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action — and DDB, which reduces alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels.

Behind this rapid growth is Bukwang Pharmaceutical's co-prescription marketing strategy. Since Legadex's launch, the company has actively encouraged co-prescribing it alongside its existing bestseller, Legalon. Prescribing both products together allows physicians to administer all three key components for liver disease treatment — silymarin, UDCA and DDB — to patients at once.

Under current national health insurance coverage guidelines, up to two liver disease drugs can receive reimbursement simultaneously. Co-prescribing Legalon and Legadex therefore qualifies for full insurance benefits, making the combination an attractive treatment option for both physicians and patients.

Bukwang Pharmaceutical said it plans to build on this achievement by intensifying its marketing efforts for Legadex and further consolidating its leadership in the liver disease market.

"The strategy of proposing Legadex alongside Legalon — which has earned the trust of physicians for decades — hit the mark," a company official said. "Prescriptions grew rapidly, centered on the clinic-level market, and with hospital-level growth also gaining momentum, we achieved second place in a short period of time. We aim to reach first place by prescription volume by the second anniversary of the launch."


silverpaper@heraldcorp.com