Kolon Life Science and Mundipharma Korea said on Wednesday that the number of procedures of Invossa-K, the world’s first knee osteoarthritis genetic therapy, has surpassed 1,000.

Since the release in November, Invossa has marked more than 100 procedures per month. In seven months until early May, the total number of Invossa procedures climbed to 1,000.

Invossa-available hospitals are steadily increasing as well, Kolon said.

Before the release of Invossa, only 58 hospitals offered genetic therapies. Now, the number has gone up to 640, increasing 11 folds.

The nation’s medical costs for treatment of osteoarthritis has continued to rise to 1.2 trillion won ($1.1 billion) in 2016, according to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. The number of local osteoarthritis patients is estimated to be 5 million, out of 150 million globally.

Invossa targets 1.5-2 million patients in Korea and its sales are expected to increase accordingly, Kolon said.

“Hitting more than 1,000 Invossa procedures is a valuable result owed to the trust of physicians and patients in Korea,” Kolon Life Science CEO Lee Woo-suk said. “Invossa, the innovative drug that will fundamentally change treatments of osteoarthritis, will be adding value as a treatment option for those who could not receive proper treatment.”

sjh@docdocdoc.co.kr

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