Toray Partner Begins Selling REMITCH^® OD Tablets 2.5 µg for Pruritus Treatment in Korea

Tokyo, Japan, January 16, 2023 – Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that Korean marketing partner SK Chemicals Co., Ltd., began selling REMITCH^® (see note 1) OD Tablets (see note 2) 2.5µg earlier this month. That move comes after Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety licensed the import of this Toray-developed orally disintegrating pruritus treatment. Toray developed and secured manufacturing and marketing approval in Japan in 2017 for this medication for hemodialysis and chronic liver disease sufferers finding existing pruritus therapies and treatments ineffective.

SK Chemicals began offering REMITCH Capsules 2.5 µg after obtaining an import license on June 14, 2013, for that formulation, which was already on the market in Japan. That license was to assist hemodialysis sufferers whose existing pruritus treatments were insufficiently efficacious.

People can take REMITCH OD Tablets 2.5µg with or without water, making it convenient for elderly and other individuals finding it hard to swallow pills or people with fluid restrictions. This formulation should help improve medication compliance.

Toray looks for REMITCH OD Tablets 2.5µg to contribute to local hemodialysis sufferers in Korea as a new option for pruritus treatment.

Overview of REMITCH OD Tablets 2.5µg for Korean market

Generic name	：	Nalfurafine hydrochloride
Indication	：	Improves pruritus in hemodialysis patients for whom existing therapies or treatments are insufficiently efficacious
Dosage and Administration	：	One tablet (2.5 µg of nalfurafine hydrochloride) administered orally once daily after an evening meal, with a maximum dose of 5 µg once daily. Place the tablet on the tongue, dissolve with saliva and swallow or take with water
Importer	：	SK Chemicals Co., Ltd.
Manufacturer	：	Toray Industries, Inc.

 

Notes

１.	Toray developed REMITCH (a registered trademark of Torii Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) as the world’s first highly selective kappa opioid receptor agonist. The latter company distributes this agent in Japan to help alleviate pruritus in hemodialysis patients and chronic liver disease sufferers whose conditions are unresponsive to other treatments.
２.	Toray developed REMITCH OD tablets by leveraging its RADIFIL® film coating technology, which offers superior light shielding, low friability, advanced extensibility, and rapid dissolution. People can take these orally disintegrating tablets with or without water, making it convenient for elderly (see note 3) and other individuals finding it hard to swallow pills or for people with fluid restrictions. This formulation should help improve medication compliance.
３.	Section 9.8 (The Elderly) of the electronic package insert covering usage precautions for this medication states that special care is necessary when administering to older individuals.