What Kyungdong Pharm does

Kyungdong Pharm (경동제약, KRX: 011040) is a 50-year-old South Korean pharmaceutical manufacturer headquartered in Gwacheon, with production facilities in Hwaseong (Yanggam and Balan plants) and an on-site R&D Center operational since December 2015. Founded in 1975, the company's stated mission is to substitute domestically produced generics for previously imported essential medicines, and it now markets a portfolio of more than 183 prescription products, 34 OTC products, 15 health functional foods, and 45 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

The prescription portfolio is organized around chronic-disease therapy areas — cardiovascular (54 SKUs), diabetes (27 SKUs), anti-inflammatory/pain, antiviral, antibiotic, and antihistamine categories — and is differentiated by incrementally modified drugs (개량신약) such as Valdipin Plus (valsartan/amlodipine/chlorthalidone triple combination), Fenorovan (combination dyslipidemia), Dapazin SM SR (triple-combination T2D), and Nasopra (NSAID+PPI). The OTC line is anchored by the Gnal-N (그날엔) brand family in pain, cold, cough, and nasal categories, with the Gubamen sleep aid as a recent extension. Health functional foods span immune (Immune Vital Solution), stress (Ashwagandha, Theanine Relax Jelly, Magne & Kill Stress), eye health (Lutein), and gut health (Lactobacillus Probiotics) SKUs.

The business model is straightforward reimbursement-driven pharma unit sales: pricing on the prescription side is administered through Korean National Health Insurance 보험약가, with example hypertension SKUs priced at KRW 933–1,219 per tablet by dosage strength. Go-to-market is a hybrid enterprise field-sales motion into hospitals and clinics for Rx, plus retail distribution through Korean pharmacy networks for OTC and health functional foods, with API and finished-product export channels into Japan, Russia (since 1994), and at least ten other countries. Two recent strategic pivots — a January 2026 MOU with Hanil Electric Co. into beauty and wellness, and a pipeline of partnership agreements with Insereve (2022) and AuhlBio (2023) — point to deliberate diversification away from pure-play generics into adjacent health verticals and partnership-driven R&D.

Name

Kyungdong Pharm

Legal name

경동제약 주식회사

Website

https://kdpharma.co.kr

Company type

Public

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Generic Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Generic Hospital & Institutional Products (HLAIABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compounding Ingredient & API Distributors (Pharma Supply) (HLAIAJAO), Specialty Pharmaceutical Distributors (HLAIAJAB)

Keywords

• Generic pharmaceuticals
• Prescription medications
• OTC medicines
• Active pharmaceutical ingredients
• Health functional foods

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

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

Revenue model

1. Prescription Drugs (전문의약품): Sale of prescription medications including cardiovascular drugs, diabetes treatments, and other therapeutic categories
2. OTC Drugs (일반의약품): Over-the-counter medications sold directly to consumers through pharmacies, including pain relievers like Gnal-N products
3. Health Functional Foods (건강기능식품): Dietary supplements and functional health foods including probiotics, ashwagandha, lutein, and other products
4. Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (원료의약품): Manufacturing and export of APIs to international markets including Japan and other countries

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kyungdong Pharm manufactures and sells a broad portfolio of pharmaceutical products including generic prescription drugs, incrementally modified drugs (improved formulations and combination therapies), OTC consumer medicines (notably the Gnal-N brand family), health functional foods, and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The company operates its own manufacturing facilities in Hwaseong, produces over 90 prescription drugs and over 45 APIs, and distributes domestically through pharmacy networks and healthcare institutions while exporting APIs and finished products to Japan and more than 10 other countries.

Product overview

Kyungdong Pharm is a mid-sized South Korean pharmaceutical company founded in 1975, operating as a unified portfolio of prescription drugs (183+ products), OTC consumer medicines (34+ products), health functional foods (15+ products), quasi-drugs, and active pharmaceutical ingredients (45+ products). The prescription portfolio is organized around core therapeutic areas — cardiovascular (54 products including Valdipin Plus, Telcardin, Rotodipine, Fenorovan), diabetes (28 products including Dapazin SM SR), and anti-inflammatory/pain treatments — combining generic drugs with incrementally modified drugs (improved combination formulations, new salts, novel dosage forms). The consumer OTC segment centers on the Gnal-N (그날엔) brand family for pain and cold symptom relief, with products like Gnal-N Q tablets, Gnal-N Cold Plus, and Gnal-N Cough Plus, plus the Gubamen (그밤엔) sleep aid. The health functional food lineup includes Immune Vital Solution, Ashwagandha, Magne & Kill Stress, Theanine Relax Jelly, and probiotic supplements. The company also manufactures and exports approximately 45 types of APIs. R&D activities cover generics, incrementally modified drugs, and biosimilar development including Dupixent biosimilars. Kyungdong Pharm has production facilities in Hwaseong (Yanggam and Balan plants) and an R&D center, with export operations to Japan and over 10 other countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prescription Drug Portfolio (전문의약품 Portfolio)

Quantifiable outcome

• Substituted billions of KRW worth of imported pharmaceuticals with domestically developed products

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Hanil Electric Co. (한일전기)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2026Kyungdong Pharm signed an MOU with Hanil Electric Co. to jointly develop beauty and wellness products. This partnership represents the company's strategic pivot from generics-focused business to the beauty and healthcare market amid government generic drug price cuts.
• AuhlBio (아울바이오)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Kyungdong Pharm signed MOU with AuhlBio for strategic partnership in January 2023.
• Insereve (인세리브로)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2022Kyungdong Pharm entered joint research agreement with Insereve for new drug development in June 2022.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/kdpharma
• Facebookfacebook.com/kdpharma
• Instagraminstagram.com/kdpharma

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Kyungdong Pharm