CHO-A Pharm

What CHO-A Pharm does

CHO-A Pharm (조아제약) is a KOSDAQ-listed South Korean pharmaceutical company founded in 1998, headquartered in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu district (Ace Techno Tower) with a manufacturing facility in Haman County, Gyeongsangnam-do. It develops, manufactures, and distributes a broad portfolio spanning prescription drugs (전문의약품), over-the-counter medicines (일반의약품), health functional foods (건강기능식품), quasi-drugs (의약외품), and pet products (반려동물제품). The product line includes hangover remedies, cold medications, anti-inflammatory analgesics (dexibuprofen-based), children's growth supplements, iron supplements, multivitamins, melatonin, NMN anti-aging, and whitening/functional beverages, marketed under sub-brands including Jalkton (잘크톤), Joeunai (조은아이), Choabitone (조아바이톤), Hepatos (헤파토스), Immunity Kan (면역칸스), and Medipharm (메디팜).

The company operates a sales-led go-to-market model, distributing products through a nationwide network of pharmacies across all 17 South Korean metropolitan/provincial jurisdictions, supplemented by its own Naver Smart Store e-commerce presence and a consignment manufacturing (수탁) business serving other pharmaceutical companies. It generates revenue primarily through physical product sales at retail pharmacies and direct-to-consumer online channels, with B2B consignment manufacturing as a secondary stream. Marketing is driven by sports sponsorships with the Doosan Bears and Hanwha Eagles professional baseball teams, multi-format advertising (TV CF, radio, print, outdoor), and social contribution programs (Project A, Fa:Com).

The leadership consists of co-Representative Directors Cho Seong-hwan (조성환) and Cho Seong-bae (조성배), both of whom also serve as Privacy Protection Officers. The company employs 101-250 people and has faced material regulatory events including voluntary recalls of ranitidine-based products (NDMA impurity concerns) and Oxetin/Siplokyu products (specification deviations), reflecting ongoing quality and compliance management challenges. An extraordinary shareholders' meeting has been scheduled for June 2026, suggesting potential upcoming governance or strategic action.

Name

CHO-A Pharm

Legal name

CHO-A PHARM.Co.,LTD. (조아제약 주식회사)

Website

https://choa.co.kr

Company type

Public

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CHO-A Pharm is a KOSDAQ-listed South Korean pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, and distributes prescription drugs, OTC medicines, health functional foods, quasi-drugs, and pet products through a nationwide pharmacy network and its own Naver Smart Store, targeting Korean consumer segments across children, women, elderly, and general family categories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Products

NAICS

Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (45611), Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (424210), Health and Personal Care Retailers (456)

SIC

Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912), Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122)

akta.pro primary industry

Pharmacy Front-End & Sundries Distribution (Health & Wellness, Personal Care, Convenience) (CRAOAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health, Wellness & Pharmacy Marketplaces (CRAFABAF), Health & Pharmacy Omnichannel (CRAFAEAK)

Keywords

• Pharmaceutical products
• OTC medications
• Health functional foods
• Prescription drugs
• Consignment manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Product Sales: CHO-A Pharm generates revenue primarily from the manufacture and sale of prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, health functional foods, and quasi-drugs. The company also operates a consignment manufacturing business (수탁 사업) and an e-commerce store (조아제약 공식몰 on Naver Smart Store).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CHO-A Pharm (조아제약) develops, manufactures, and distributes a diverse portfolio of pharmaceutical products including prescription drugs (전문의약품), over-the-counter (OTC) medicines (일반의약품), health functional foods (건강기능식품), and quasi-drugs (의약외품). The company sells its products through a nationwide pharmacy network across South Korea and operates its own direct-to-consumer e-commerce store on Naver Smart Store, and also offers consignment manufacturing services (수탁사업) to other pharmaceutical companies.

Product overview

CHO-A Pharm is a Korean pharmaceutical company offering a diverse portfolio of products across multiple categories: general pharmaceuticals (over-the-counter and prescription medicines), health functional foods, and external pharmaceutical products. The product lineup includes: (1) General pharmaceuticals such as hangover remedies (상위정), cold medications (콜콜콜드연질캡슐), anti-inflammatory pain relievers (다펜덱시연질캡슐, 마그스더블액션연질캡슐), children's medications (조은아이부릉시럽), and iron supplements (훼마틴); (2) Health functional foods including NMN supplements (텔로X2 NMN), energy gels (달샷 에너지젤), multivitamins (조아 멀티비타민미네랄 구미), melatonin products (멜라톤), and various wellness products under sub-brands like Jalkton (잘크톤에스, 젤리잘크톤); (3) External pharmaceutical products such as hand cream (손바렌크림). The company also operates family brand sites including 조은아이, 잘크톤, 조아바이톤, 헤파토스, 면역칸에스, and 메디팜.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 조은아이 (Joeunai): Brand focused on health and wellness products for families
• 잘크톤 (Jalkton)
• 조아바이톤 (Choabitone)
• 헤파토스 (Hepatos)
• 면역칸에스 (Immunity Kan)
• 메디팜 (Medipharm)

Products and services

• Telo X2 NMN (텔로X2 NMN)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 메디팜약국체인 (MediPharm Pharmacy Chain)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 13 May 2008CHO-A Pharm provides customer personal information (name, date of birth, address, mobile phone number, email) to MediPharm Pharmacy Chain for the purposes of content provision, product delivery, new service development, and promotional communications. The partnership has been in effect since at least 2008.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Yuhan Corporation: Major Korean pharmaceutical incumbent with both prescription and consumer health businesses, including OTC and supplement lines. Comparable in category breadth but operates at meaningfully larger scale and with deeper R&D capability than CHO-A Pharm.
• Hanmi Pharmaceutical: Large Korea-based pharmaceutical company with prescription drug leadership and growing consumer health exposure. A broader incumbent that competes with CHO-A Pharm in select OTC and HFF categories, but is fundamentally a prescription/R&D-driven business.
• GC Pharma (Green Cross): One of Korea's largest pharmaceutical companies with established OTC and consumer health lines. Overlaps with CHO-A Pharm in domestic pharmacy distribution, but is much more diversified across biologics, vaccines, and prescription.
• Ildong Pharmaceutical: Korean pharmaceutical company with prescription, OTC, and health functional food businesses. Overlaps with CHO-A Pharm in the Korean pharmacy channel and HFF category, though with a larger prescription drug base.
• Celltrion: Major Korean biopharmaceutical company with growing consumer health ambitions. A broad incumbent KOSDAQ/KOSPI-listed pharma that shares the Korean listing ecosystem with CHO-A Pharm, though primarily operates in biosimilars rather than OTC.

Direct peers

• Kolmar Korea: Leading Korean health functional food and cosmetics manufacturer with a large contract manufacturing and ODM business. Directly comparable to CHO-A Pharm in HFF category and in operating a consignment manufacturing model alongside branded products.
• Dong-A Pharmaceutical: One of Korea's largest OTC pharmaceutical and health supplement companies with flagship consumer brands. Direct overlap with CHO-A Pharm in Korean OTC, health functional foods, and pharmacy distribution, though at significantly larger scale.
• Kwangdong Pharmaceutical: Korean pharmaceutical company with strong presence in health drinks, OTC, and consumer health products. Highly comparable to CHO-A Pharm in product mix (functional beverages, OTC, HFF) and target demographics.

Emerging players

• Bukwang Pharmaceutical: Mid-sized Korean pharmaceutical company with CNS specialty prescription focus and selective OTC exposure. Comparable as a KOSDAQ-listed mid-cap pharma peer, though with a different therapeutic focus than CHO-A Pharm's consumer health tilt.

Regional players

• Daihan Pharmaceutical: Smaller Korean pharmaceutical manufacturer focused on prescription generics and selected OTC. Most comparable to CHO-A Pharm as a domestic Korean pharma of similar mid-cap scale, primarily serving the Korean market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CHOA_PHARM
• Facebookfacebook.com/choapharm
• Instagraminstagram.com/choa_pharm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/choa-pharmaceutical-co-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 CHO-A Pharm