Rudacure CEO Kim Yong-ho poses with the company's pet treatment products. [Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs]
Rudacure CEO Kim Yong-ho poses with the company's pet treatment products. [Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs]

Rudacure, a biotech startup developing domestically made treatments for companion animals, has been named the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' A-Ventures company of the month. The company plans to accelerate its push into the global veterinary pharmaceutical market, led by treatments for hard-to-treat conditions including dry eye disease and osteoarthritis.

The Agriculture Ministry announced Thursday that it selected Rudacure as the 87th recipient of its A-Ventures designation, a program that spotlights outstanding venture and startup companies in the agriculture and food sector.

Rudacure is a biotech company developing treatments for intractable diseases in companion animals, including dry eye disease and osteoarthritis pain. It draws on research and development expertise from human therapeutics to create domestically produced veterinary medicines.

Demand for safe and effective veterinary drugs has grown as aging pets and changing living environments have driven a rise in animals suffering from dry eye disease and chronic pain.

Rudacure focuses on developing new drugs that reduce side effects and improve therapeutic outcomes compared with existing treatments.

Its lead pipeline candidate, the dry eye treatment RCI001-AH, suppresses inflammation and supports the recovery of damaged ocular tissue. The osteoarthritis pain treatment RCI002-AH is a non-opioid analgesic being developed to deliver effects lasting up to three months from a single dose.

The company built its commercialization foundation through the ministry's agriculture and food venture development support project and its private investment-based scale-up support project. Sales grew more than fourfold in two years, rising from 438 million won ($299,000) in 2023 to 1.8 billion won in 2025.

"We will stake out an untapped market in veterinary medicine by developing treatments for intractable diseases," CEO Kim Yong-ho said. "Through the global expansion of domestically developed veterinary drugs with proven efficacy and safety, we aim to extend the lives of animals and drive the growth of the broader industry."


adastra@heraldcorp.com