KiOmed Pharma

What KiOmed Pharma does

KiOmed Pharma is a Belgian biotech company founded in 2012 as a spinout from KitoZyme, headquartered in Herstal/Liège. It develops, manufactures, and distributes medical devices based on a proprietary, patented platform technology called KiOmedine® CM-Chitosan — a medical-grade, animal-free carboxymethyl-chitosan biopolymer derived from the white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). The technology offers a dual mechanism combining joint lubrication with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress properties (via free radical scavenging and macrophage reprogramming), and is applicable across injectable and implantable formulations in three therapeutic verticals: osteoarthritis, skin aging/aesthetics, and ophthalmology/dry eye disease.

The company's flagship commercial product is KioMedinevsone, a single intra-articular injection fluid implant for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, designed to deliver up to 12 months of symptom relief in refractory patients who have failed hyaluronic acid, corticosteroid, or PRP treatments. KiOmedinevsone received CE Mark certification in May 2020, was commercially launched in 2022 across an initial 11 countries, and is now sold in 15 countries with an ambition to reach 30 countries across five continents by 2028. The company secured Chinese NMPA approval in September 2025 and has treated more than 20,000 patients as of May 2024. The PIONEER randomized controlled trial, published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open in 2025, provides the principal clinical evidence base.

KiOmed Pharma operates a partner-led, asset-light distribution model. Revenue is generated through exclusive licensing and supply agreements with regional pharmaceutical partners — including TRB Chemedica (Europe), Arsylab (France), Aptissen, Hansoh (China), and DongKwang Pharm (South Korea, with partnership value potential exceeding €95 million) — plus upfront payments, regulatory and commercial milestones, double-digit royalties on net sales, and long-term product supply revenues. The company also has an exclusive aesthetics partnership with Sinclair Pharma and a digital companion app partnership with moveUP. KiOmed raised €18 million in March 2025 to accelerate pipeline development, and the company is privately held with a lean team of 11–50 employees.

Name

KiOmed Pharma

Legal name

KiOmed SA

Website

https://kiomedpharma.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KiOmed Pharma is a Belgian biotech that develops and manufactures KioMedinevsone, a single-injection KiOmedine® CM-chitosan treatment for refractory knee osteoarthritis, distributed via regional licensing partners across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Orthopedic Medical Devices

NAICS

Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842), Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Drug Delivery Connectivity, Sensors & Digital Add-Ons (Smart Caps/Companion Apps) (HLAHAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ocular Drug Delivery Devices (Eye Droppers/Inserts) (HLAHAIAL)

Keywords

• Medical device biotechnology
• Osteoarthritis treatment
• Viscosupplementation implants
• Chitosan biomaterials
• Orthopedic injectables

Headquarters

HQ city

Herstal

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales through Distribution Partners: KiOmed Pharma manufactures and supplies KioMedinevsone to distribution partners who commercialize in their territories. Revenue comes from upfront payments, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, double-digit royalties on net sales, and long-term product supply revenues.
2. License and Supply Agreement (TRB Chemedica): Exclusive licensing of CE-marked product to TRB Chemedica for selected markets, with KiOmed receiving upfront payments, milestones, and royalties.
3. Milestone Payments: Payments tied to regulatory approvals and commercial achievements across partnered territories including South Korea (€95M+ potential partnership value) and China (with Hansoh).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KiOmed Pharma develops, manufactures, and distributes medical devices based on its proprietary KiOmedine® CM-Chitosan (carboxymethyl-chitosan) technology derived from white button mushrooms. Its flagship commercial product KioMedinevsone is a single intra-articular injection fluid implant providing up to 12 months of symptom relief for refractory knee osteoarthritis patients. The technology platform also targets skin aging/aesthetics and ophthalmology applications.

Product overview

KiOmed Pharma is a Belgian biotech company that has developed a proprietary non-animal carboxymethyl chitosan platform technology (KiOmedine® CM-Chitosan) derived from button mushrooms. The company's primary commercial product is KioMedinevsone, a single-injection fluid implant for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis that provides up to 12 months of relief. The technology platform is applicable across three therapeutic areas: osteoarthritis, skin aging, and ophthalmology. KioMedinevsone is the flagship product commercialized in multiple countries, while the KiOmedine® platform serves as the foundational technology enabling multiple product applications. KiOmed Pharma also operates educational initiatives like Arthrose Active to support patient awareness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KioMedinevsone: A single-injection treatment for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis based on KiOmed Pharma's proprietary non-animal carboxymethyl chitosan technology
• Arthrose Active
• KiOmedine®

Products and services

• KioMedinevsone A single-injection fluid implant treatment for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis based on proprietary non-animal carboxymethyl chitosan technology (KiOmedine® CM-Chitosan). Provides up to 12 months of symptom relief and targets patients with refractory osteoarthritis who do not respond well to existing treatments like HA injections or PRP. CE-marked medical device.

Quantifiable outcome

• Symptom improvement sustained at 12 months in refractory knee osteoarthritis patients (PIONEER trial)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• DongKwang PharmcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 June 2026Exclusive licensing and distribution agreement for commercialization of KioMedinevsone in South Korea. DKP handles regulatory registration, market access, commercialization, and distribution while KiOmed maintains manufacturing. Partnership value potential exceeds €95 million including upfront payments, milestones, double-digit royalties, and supply revenues. South Korea market estimated at €200 million annually with 3+ million knee OA patients.
• AptissenmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 23 April 2025Strategic alliance bringing breakthrough in osteoarthritis treatment. Details not fully specified in available sources.
• ArsylabmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 September 2023Strategic partnership for promotion and distribution of KioMedinevsone in France. Focus on refractory knee osteoarthritis treatment market.
• Hansoh PharmacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 26 September 2022License agreement for KioMedinevsone in mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. NMPA regulatory approval obtained September 2025; commercial launch planned for early 2026. Hansoh is one of China's leading biopharmaceutical companies.
• Sinclair PharmamajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 7 October 2021Exclusive partnership based on KiOmedine® technology for aesthetic medicine applications. Strategic partnership with major player in aesthetics signaling confidence in technology versatility.
• moveUPsupportingTechnology or Integration · 3 June 2021Exclusive agreement for development and licensing of a mobile health companion application for personalized conservative intra-articular treatment of osteoarthritis. moveUP develops the app using their healthcare platform; KiOmed receives global marketing rights.
• TRB ChemedicacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 5 May 2020License and Supply Agreement granting TRB Chemedica exclusive rights to market and distribute the CE-marked product across selected markets. TRB supports pre- and post-registration clinical studies and product introduction in selected territories.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sinclair Pharma: Aesthetic medicine company partnered with KiOmed on KiOmedine®-based dermal fillers — relevant peer in the aesthetics pipeline with overlapping technology platform ambitions.
• Flexion Therapeutics: Specialty biopharma that developed Zilretta (extended-release intra-articular corticosteroid) for knee osteoarthritis — comparable single-product intra-articular OA specialty pharma strategy.
• Seikagaku Corporation: Japanese specialty pharma focused on hyaluronic acid-based viscosupplements (Supartz/Artz) for knee osteoarthritis and ophthalmology products — a comparable platform-based intra-articular OA player with strong APAC footprint.
• Fidia Farmaceutici: Italian specialty pharma with a leading portfolio of hyaluronic acid intra-articular products (Hyalgan, Hymovis) for osteoarthritis, competing head-to-head with KioMedinevsone in European and emerging markets.
• Bioventus: Global orthopedic pain management company offering viscosupplements (Durolane, Gelsyn-3) and other intra-articular therapies for knee osteoarthritis, directly competing with KiOmed in the viscosupplement category.
• Anika Therapeutics: US specialty company marketing Monovisc and Orthovisc single-injection hyaluronic acid viscosupplements for knee osteoarthritis — the closest direct competitor to KioMedinevsone in single-injection viscosupplementation.
• TRB Chemedica: European specialty pharma partner of KiOmed Pharma for OA viscosupplements and an independent developer/distributor of intra-articular therapies — overlapping product portfolio and direct distribution overlap with KiOmedinevsone in Europe.

Regional players

• LG Chem: South Korean specialty/consumer health player with hyaluronic acid viscosupplements competing in the Korean OA market where KiOmed's DongKwang Pharm partnership is launching KioMedinevsone.

Broad incumbents

• Pacira BioSciences: Larger specialty pharma focused on injectable non-opioid pain therapies (Exparel, iovera) — relevant comparable in intra-articular / injectable pain management for orthopedic indications.
• Sanofi (Genzyme): Global biopharma whose Genzyme unit markets Synvisc/Synvisc-One, one of the most widely used hyaluronic acid viscosupplements — broad incumbent competing with KiOmedinevsone in osteoarthritis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInfr.linkedin.com/company/kiomed-pharma

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KiOmed Pharma