MediPost has initiated a full-scale push into global markets centered on the United States and Japan, successfully securing large-scale financing and consecutively entering into strategic agreements with a Japanese pharmaceutical company.

MediPost (CEO Oh Won-il) announced that, following the signing of a financing agreement totaling KRW 205 billion, it has entered into an exclusive commercialization license agreement in Japan with Japanese pharmaceutical company Teikoku Pharma for the knee osteoarthritis treatment “CARTISTEM®.”

The financing was executed through the issuance of convertible bonds (CB), with participation from domestic investors including existing largest shareholders Skylake Equity Partners and Crescendo Equity Partners. According to the company, investors highly evaluated the likelihood of success of CARTISTEM’s Phase 3 clinical trial in the US and its global commercialization potential, leading to the decision to invest a total of KRW 205 billion. The secured funds are expected to serve as key resources for conducting the US Phase 3 clinical trial and implementing the global commercialization strategy.

MediPost is currently preparing to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a Phase 3 clinical trial of CARTISTEM in the United States, aiming to administer the first dose to a patient in the first half of 2026. The trial will be designed as a randomized study with an active control arm that meets regulatory approval requirements.

A commercialization platform is also being established in the Japanese market. MediPost recently signed a license agreement with Teikoku Pharma granting exclusive marketing rights for CARTISTEM in Japan, and simultaneously secured an upfront payment of approximately KRW 11.8 billion at contract signing. Upon future approval of product registration in Japan, additional short- and mid-term milestone payments totaling approximately KRW 14.8 billion are expected, and long-term milestones linked to sales performance are also included.

Teikoku Pharma plans to gradually operate a dedicated sales force of around 100 personnel to target the Japanese orthopedic market, while MediPost will directly handle the production and supply of the active pharmaceutical ingredient to ensure both quality and supply stability. The Phase 3 clinical trial in Japan has been completed, and MediPost plans to pursue medium- to long-term commercialization in Japan after filing for product approval in the second half of 2026.

A MediPost official stated, “We have established a foundation that allows us to simultaneously target the world’s largest osteoarthritis markets, the United States and Japan,” adding, “We have entered the full-scale execution phase to develop CARTISTEM into a global DMOAD (disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug).”

Popular News