Santen Korea Signs an Exclusive Promotion and Distribution Agreement for VEGF Inhibitors Beovu^® and Lucentis^® in the Republic of Korea

October 20, 2025, - Osaka, Japan - Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter Santen) announced that Santen Korea has entered into a promotion and distribution agreement in the Republic of Korea with Novartis Korea. The agreement, signed on October 17, covers Beovu^® (brolucizumab) and Lucentis^® (ranibizumab), ophthalmic VEGF* inhibitors manufactured and commercialized by Novartis. Under this agreement, Santen Korea will receive exclusive distribution rights and conduct promotional activities for the stated products in the Republic of Korea.

Beovu^® is a humanized monoclonal single-chain antibody fragment (scFv) and Lucentis^® is a monoclonal antibody fragment (Fab). Beovu^® and Lucentis^® are designed to inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), a key driver of abnormal blood vessel growth and leakage, delaying the progression of retinal diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Through the distribution of Beovu^® and Lucentis^®, Santen will enter the retinal disease area in the Republic of Korea for the first time and aims to contribute to more patients.

Rie Nakajima, Director of the Board, Chief Operating Officer of Santen commented: “We are very pleased to now be able to offer Beovu^® and Lucentis^® locally in the Republic of Korea, as we have not previously marketed retinal disease treatments there. Drawing on our expertise and experience as a specialty company dedicated to ophthalmology, we will do our best to deliver retinal disease treatments to more patients in the Republic of Korea. We look forward to this partnership further expanding Santen’s business in the Asian market.”

Santen will leverage its expertise and insights in ophthalmology to achieve success in the Korean ophthalmic market and further dedicate itself to serving the best interests of patients around the world.

• VEGF: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor

About Beovu^®
Beovu^® (brolucizumab) is a humanized monoclonal single-chain antibody fragment (scFv) that specifically targets vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A). Its small molecular size enables deeper retinal penetration and a higher molar concentration, allowing for potent VEGF-A suppression with a reduced injection volume—contributing to its strong therapeutic performance. As of October 2025, Beovu^® has received regulatory approval in 79 countries and regions, including the United States, the European Union, and Japan. It was first approved in the U.S. in October 2019 as the world’s first treatment for wAMD. In the Republic of Korea, Beovu^® is approved for the treatment of both wAMD and DME.

About Lucentis^®
Lucentis^® (ranibizumab) is a humanized, high-affinity antibody fragment that binds to VEGF-A, a protein that can cause the growth of blood vessels in the eye, potentially leading to vision loss. Lucentis^® is an in-licensed product from Genentech. Novartis has commercialization rights ex-US, while Genentech commercializes in the US. As of October 2025, Lucentis^® has been approved in 110 countries and regions, including the United States, the European Union, and Japan. In the Republic of Korea, the approved indications include wAMD, retinal vein occlusion (RVO), myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), and DME.

About Santen
As a specialized company dedicated to eye health, Santen aspires to contribute to the realization of “Happiness with Vision” by providing products and services to patients, consumers, and medical professionals around the world. Since its establishment, and guided by its CORE PRINCIPLE, “Tenki ni sanyo suru,” Santen has been committed to helping people maintain and improve their eye health for more than 130 years. Santen is engaged in the global research and development, manufacturing, and sales and marketing of pharmaceutical products in the field of eye care, supporting the eye health of approximately 50 million people in more than 60 countries and regions worldwide. Santen’s mission is to provide essential and significant value to patients and society in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of eye diseases through products and services created from its expertise in the ophthalmology field and from the patient's perspective. To create a future in which as many patients as possible can lead happy and fulfilling lives, Santen is committed to doing its utmost to realize a society in which people around the world can experience “Happiness with Vision.”
For more information, please visit Santen’s website https://www.santen.com/en.

Contact
Corporate Communications
Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
E-mail: communication@santen.com   

This press release has been published in Japanese, Korean and English languages and in the event of any inconsistency, the English version shall prevail.