From PV to ET to PMF, PharmaEssentia Has Come A Long Way in Fighting Diseases

TAIPEI, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PharmaEssentia Corporation (TWSE: 6446), a Taiwan-based biopharmaceutical company, is expanding its global presence through new drug approvals, clinical trials and overseas investments, as it seeks to bring its Taiwan-developed innovative new drug to more international markets.

Founded in Taiwan in 2003 by scientist Dr. Ko-Chung Lin (林國鐘), with a commitment to developing innovative treatments for patients worldwide, PharmaEssentia has developed integrated capabilities spanning in-house discovery and research, clinical development, manufacturing, global supply and commercialization, according to the company.

This infrastructure enables the company to bring its own innovations from the laboratory to international markets and supply medicines to patients worldwide, PharmaEssentia said.

The company continues expanding its global reach after securing U.S. and Japanese approvals in August for ropeginterferon alfa-2b (Ropeg) to treat essential thrombocythemia (ET), a rare blood cancer that causes excessive platelet production. These approvals followed Taiwan’s approval in May for adult ET patients resistant to or intolerant of hydroxyurea (HU).

According to PharmaEssentia, Ropeg, marketed under the brand name BESREMi, is the first new treatment approved for ET in nearly three decades and the only drug approved by the U.S. FDA for both ET and polycythemia vera (PV), another rare blood cancer.

The company said the approvals marked a major milestone in its efforts to expand the drug's applications and benefit more patients worldwide.

Ropeg, a long-acting interferon-based medication invented by PharmaEssentia founder and CEO, Dr. Ko-Chung Lin, was first approved for PV treatment in the European Union in 2019, followed by the United States in 2021, and Japan in 2023. The drug has since been approved and launched for PV treatment in approximately 50 countries, according to the company.

Lin invented Ropeg using proprietary PEGylation technology and advanced small-molecule synthesis techniques to link polyethylene glycol (PEG) to interferon alfa, producing a long-acting interferon with a stable chemical structure and uniform composition, according to PharmaEssentia.

PharmaEssentia said it retains full global intellectual property rights across all indications.

Ropeg reflects PharmaEssentia's integrated capabilities across the drug development value chain, according to the company.

PharmaEssentia manufactures Ropeg itself to supply patients worldwide and holds the key technologies and patents for its development, manufacturing and use, it said.

This end-to-end system has allowed the company to take innovation from the laboratory to approvals in Europe, the United States and Japan, underscoring its strength as a global pharmaceutical company, PharmaEssentia said.

PharmaEssentia said it had also adopted an optimized High-Initial-Dose Accelerated Titration (HIDAT) regimen in both its Phase 3 SURPASS-ET and Phase 2 single-arm EXCEED-ET clinical trials, allowing patients to reach the target dose more quickly.

Under the HIDAT regimen, the initial dose of 250 micrograms is increased to 350 micrograms in the second week and to the target dose of 500 micrograms by the fourth week. The optimization reflects PharmaEssentia's in-house capability to continuously refine Ropeg's dosing strategy and clinical use, the company said.

Meanwhile, the company is conducting a global Phase 3 clinical trial, HOPE-PMF, to evaluate Ropeg as a potential treatment for primary myelofibrosis (PMF), another rare blood cancer with limited treatment options. The study focuses on patients with early-stage PMF, who are typically monitored without treatment because no drug therapies are approved for this stage of the disease, PharmaEssentia said.

Beyond drug development, PharmaEssentia has expanded its global footprints. Since 2017, PharmaEssentia has established subsidiaries in the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, China, South Korea and Singapore, recruiting experienced professionals, and building its own local teams to advance clinical development, marketing, sales and market operations.

PharmaEssentia also expanded into Europe and Latin America through licensing partnerships. In 2026, PharmaEssentia acquired Canadian pharmaceutical company FORUS Therapeutics Inc. to strengthen its presence in North America, enhancing overall operational efficiency and international competitiveness, the company said.

It also announced plans to invest approximately US$46 million in a new manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico, as part of a strategy to establish production bases in both Taiwan and the United States and strengthen global supply chain resilience.

In 2026, PharmaEssentia's market capitalization approached US$20 billion, making it Taiwan's only biotechnology company among the country's 50 largest listed companies by market value.

PharmaEssentia said Ropeg illustrates how an innovative new drug independently developed in Taiwan can reach global markets, demonstrating Taiwan's growing competitiveness in innovative drug development. PharmaEssentia said sustaining this progress requires continued clinical development, expansion into new markets and reliable supply.

The company said its experience also carries wider significance for Taiwan's biotech industry, showing that a home-grown innovative drug can reach the global market when research, manufacturing, regulatory and commercial capabilities are built in tandem.

PharmaEssentia said it remains committed to improving patients' access to treatment and well-being globally.