Medipost Co. announced Thursday that the monthly sales of its stem-cell treatment, Cartistem exceeded 200 bottles for the first time in July.

Cartistem is the world’s first allogeneic stem cell drug, which won the marketing license from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in January 2012.

It is a treatment for knee cartilage defects in patients with osteoarthritis caused by degenerative or recurrent trauma, made of mesenchymal stem cells derived from allogeneic umbilical cord blood.

Medipost_{메디포스트} sold 206 bottles of Cartistem last month, and its cumulative sales also have exceeded 6,000. The average monthly sales of Cartistem were 28 in 2012, 56 in 2013, 80 in 2014, 103 in 2015 and 148 in 2016 before increasing to 178 in the first half of this year.

The robust sales raised Medipost’s expectations for second-quarter earnings as it came in the first month the company took over its sales and marketing, which had been commissioned to DongA-ST Pharmaceuticals for five years, company officials said.

"We are encouraged by the sales growth in the low demand season," a company official said. "Cartistem has secured safety through five years of follow-up clinical trials as well as efficacy in ensuring cartilage regeneration continues."

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