(LEAD) SK Biopharmaceuticals' Q3 loss narrows on robust sales

(ATTN: RECASTS throughout; CHANGES headline; ADDS photo)

SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., a biopharmaceutical affiliate of SK Group, said Thursday its net losses narrowed in the third quarter from a year earlier thanks to robust sales.

The company said in a regulatory filing its net losses for the three months ending in September reached 15 billion won (US$10.9 million), narrowing from a loss of 44.3 billion won a year ago.

It operating loss also narrowed to 9.2 billion won from an operating loss of 49.9 billion won over the cited period.

SK Biopharmaceutical said the improved bottom line was led by a 270.9 percent on-year surge in sales for the quarter, totaling 88.8 billion won.

In particular, sales of Cenobamate, sold under the brand names Xcopri in the United States, soared 138 percent on-year to 47.4 billion won. Its cumulative sales reached 119.4 billion won.

Cenobamate is a medication used for the treatment of partial-onset seizures, a kind of epilepsy, in adults.

SK Biopharm said it is working on projects to develop new medicine for epilepsy syndromes and schizophrenia.

brk@yna.co.kr
(END)