Aju Pharma

What Aju Pharma does

Aju Pharma Co., Ltd. (아주약품주식회사) is a privately held South Korean pharmaceutical manufacturer founded in 1953 and headquartered at the Pyeongtaek plant in Gyeonggi Province. The company operates four integrated business lines: (1) prescription drug manufacturing across cardiovascular, anti-infective, ophthalmology, diabetes, hypertension, musculoskeletal, neurological, endocrine, digestive, urinary, and respiratory therapeutic categories, distributed through a direct Medical Representative (MR) sales force to hospitals and clinics plus wholesale channels to retail pharmacies; (2) Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO) services for other pharmaceutical companies, conducted at cGMP-compliant facilities including an 8,800㎡ solid-dosage plant completed in November 2016; (3) medical devices through its wholly-owned subsidiary Aju Medical (established 2011), producing orthopedic surgical implants such as the Fixone Suture Anchor family (the first Korean-developed biocomposite suture anchor to receive US FDA 510(k) clearance in August 2017); and (4) consumer health functional foods under the Ollea brand (olive-leaf supplements and related products) sold through department stores, duty-free outlets, and online channels.

Revenue mechanics are diversified across B2B prescription drug sales, B2B CMO services, B2B medical device sales (domestically and via export to Southeast Asia, China, Japan, and FDA-approved US market), and B2C consumer health products. The company achieved KRW 104 billion (~USD 87M) in annual revenue during the 64th fiscal period (April 2016–March 2017), with the CMO segment contributing a 22.7% growth uplift, and has articulated a 2030 vision targeting KRW 1 trillion in revenue and Top-10 domestic ranking. Recent revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, though the company underwent a corporate split around 2025 that reorganized the AJU Healthcare Group into five entities (AJU Holdings, AJU Pharma, AJU Medical, AJU Healthcare, AJU Alliance). Leadership transitioned in April 2020 when Kim Tae-hoon — a Genentech alumnus with a PhD from the University of Michigan and MBA from Dartmouth — was appointed Representative Director, succeeding the prior CEO who had served for 37 years. Under the current leadership, Aju Pharma has launched new branded products (Dapagliflozin, Dapagliflozin+Metformin, Fimasartan+S-Amlodipine in 2023; Saponadil SR in 2021), entered a licensing partnership with Japan's Rivomic for the wet AMD biologic RBM-007 (2020), deployed a SAP S/4HANA next-generation IT system (2021), obtained ISO 37001 anti-corruption certification (2020), and introduced an internal AI Buddy platform 'AGIT' (May 2026).

Name

Aju Pharma

Legal name

아주약품주식회사

Website

https://ajupharm.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Aju Pharma (founded 1953, Seoul/Pyeongtaek, South Korea) is a privately held Korean pharmaceutical manufacturer producing prescription drugs across cardiovascular, diabetes, ophthalmology, and anti-infective categories, operating a CMO contract manufacturing business, a medical device subsidiary (Aju Medical, FDA-approved Fixone suture anchors), and the Ollea consumer health brand. It sells through direct hospital MR sales, retail pharmacy wholesale, overseas export, and department store / online channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)

akta.pro primary industry

Primary Care & General Medicine Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cardiometabolic Pharmaceuticals (Cardiovascular/Diabetes/Obesity) (HLAIAAAE), Ophthalmology Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAL), Contract Development & Manufacturing for Generics (CDMO/CMO) (HLAIABAI)

Keywords

• Prescription pharmaceuticals
• Contract manufacturing
• Medical devices
• Health supplements
• Pharmaceutical distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Sales: Sale of prescription drugs across multiple therapeutic categories including cardiovascular, anti-infectives, ophthalmology, and diabetes treatments through hospital and retail pharmacy channels.
2. CMO (Contract Manufacturing Organization): Contract manufacturing services for pharmaceutical products, contributing significantly to revenue growth with 22.7% increase in 64th fiscal period.
3. Medical Devices (Aju Medical): Sale of medical devices including suture anchors and surgical instruments for orthopedic procedures domestically and internationally.
4. Health Functional Foods (Ollea): Over-the-counter health supplements including olive leaf extracts, ginseng products, and vitamins sold through department stores, online, and retail channels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aju Pharma manufactures and sells prescription pharmaceuticals across cardiovascular, diabetes, anti-infective, ophthalmology, and musculoskeletal therapeutic areas through cGMP-compliant Pyeongtaek facilities. The company also provides contract manufacturing (CMO) services to other pharmaceutical firms, sells orthopedic medical devices (Fixone suture anchors, Joinix cannulas) through its AJU Medical division, and markets olive-leaf-based health supplements to consumers under the Ollea brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 올레아 (Olea): Olive leaf specialty brand operated by Aju Pharma's Olea division, offering health functional food products including Olkey Vitagel, Olkey Hongsam Jelly, and Olea Relief. Products are sold through duty-free stores, department stores, and brand e-commerce channels.
• 올레아사업부 (Olea Division)
• 메디칼사업부 (Medical Division)

Products and services

• Dapagliflozin (다파글린정) / Dapagliflozin+Metformin (다파글린듀오서방정)
• Fimasartan + S-Amlodipine (피마텐)
• Fixone Biocomposite Anchor
• Saponadil SR Tablet (사포나딘SR정)
• CMO (Contract Manufacturing Organization) Services
• Ollea Health Functional Foods (올레아)
• Ophthalmic solutions (Cyclosporine, Hyaluronic acid)
• Joinix Cannula

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue reached ₩1,040 billion in 64th fiscal period with 22.7% growth
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 리보믹 (Rivomic)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2020Partnership with Japanese biotech company Rivomic for introduction of RBM-007 wet macular degeneration treatment. Aju Pharma acquired exclusive development and sales rights in Korea and Southeast Asia. Product underwent Phase 2b clinical trial (Tofu study) in the US.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Arthrex: Arthrex is the global leader in orthopedic sports medicine, including suture anchors for shoulder, knee, and foot/ankle procedures. Its Fixone-comparable product lines make it the most direct global competitor to Aju Medical's orthopedic implant business.
• Hanmi Pharmaceutical: Hanmi is a leading Korean specialty pharma company with strong cardiometabolic and endocrine franchises plus an export-driven CMO platform. Its mix of branded specialty pharma, licensing partnerships, and contract manufacturing makes it directly comparable to Aju Pharma's four-pillar model.
• Corentec: Corentec is a Korean orthopedic implant and surgical device manufacturer focused on trauma, spine, and sports medicine products. It competes with Aju Medical's Fixone suture anchor portfolio in the domestic Korean orthopedic market and shares a similar export ambition.
• JW Pharmaceutical: JW Pharmaceutical is a Korean mid-market pharma company focused on prescription generics and specialty categories including cardiovascular and CNS. Its scale and product breadth make it a comparable Korean prescription drug manufacturer to Aju Pharma.
• Daewoong Pharmaceutical: Daewoong is a Korean mid-to-large pharmaceutical company with a diversified branded generics and specialty pharma portfolio across cardiovascular, endocrine, and anti-infective categories — closely mirroring Aju Pharma's horizontal therapeutic breadth and Korean market positioning.
• Dong-A ST: Dong-A ST is a Korean pharmaceutical manufacturer with a broad branded generics portfolio spanning cardiovascular, anti-infectives, and musculoskeletal categories, operating its own manufacturing and distribution — a structurally similar peer to Aju Pharma in both therapeutic scope and channel mix.
• Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical: Chong Kun Dang is a mid-sized Korean pharmaceutical company with branded generics across cardiovascular, endocrine, and musculoskeletal segments. It operates a similar hospital-and-pharmacy channel mix and is a closely comparable Korean peer to Aju Pharma.

Broad incumbents

• Yuhan Corporation: Yuhan is one of Korea's largest established pharmaceutical companies with broad prescription, OTC, and consumer health operations. It is larger and more diversified than Aju Pharma but shares the same NHIS-regulated pricing dynamics and Korean distribution channels.
• GC Pharma (Green Cross Corporation): GC Pharma is a major Korean pharmaceutical and biologics company with a portfolio spanning vaccines, plasma products, and branded prescription drugs. It competes in overlapping therapeutic categories and offers a useful scale benchmark for Aju Pharma's domestic ambitions.
• Lonza Group: Lonza is the world's largest contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with broad small molecule, biologics, and cell therapy capabilities. It is a much larger benchmark for Aju Pharma's growing CMO business, illustrating the scale opportunity in contract pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments3 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Aju Pharma