Of the 400 million patients worldwide diagnosed with rare diseases, about 250 million of them live in North and Southeast Asia1. That includes patients in major markets such as China and Japan, as well as in South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, and Taiwan.
Less than 10% of rare diseases that have no approved treatment in Asian markets1. This treatment gap presents both a public health challenge for communities and a commercial opportunity for biopharma.
While the demand in Asia-Pacific clearly exists, getting approved therapies into these markets is difficult without local support. Each country has a unique web of regulatory, supply chain, and healthcare considerations that must be navigated with care. Emerging biopharma companies may lack the APAC-specific expertise to manage these requirements, while established biopharma companies may choose to focus internal resources on R&D. A regional partner for APAC market expansion is a viable solution for both types of organizations.
High Demand, High Complexity
Successful market expansion into North and Southeast Asia as wells as in Australia requires a partner with proven experience with the region's fragmented regulatory landscape, often weaker infrastructure, and low disease awareness. Complex therapies demand more rigorous medical, regulatory and commercial support. And because many rare disease therapies require precise temperature-controlled logistics, preferred partners must also operate a compliant cold-chain distribution network that spans the region.
An End-to-End Platform Built for APAC
With over 160 years of market expansion experience and building on momentum from a new chapter of growth, DKSH Healthcare provides an integrated end-to-end commercialization platform that brings rare disease therapies to the APAC region. Their teams work with healthcare ecosystem stakeholders to streamline the patient journey -- shortening the gap between diagnosis to treatment, identifying the right patient, and delivering faster access to innovative therapies. DKSH Healthcare’s services span the entire product lifecycle, including:
- Medical, regulatory affairs and access: Medical and field excellence teams work with KOLs and manage insight from pre-launch to launch. Regulatory experts handle dossier preparation, submission, and approval across multiple, complex jurisdictions. Market access oversees pricing and reimbursement, as well as Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR). All safety reporting and ongoing compliance is completed to global standards to maintain market authorization.
- Sales and marketing: Local sales rep teams actively engage with hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies. Omnichannel marketing and Opti-channel strategies engage with physicians and KOLs to uncover deep market insights that lead to expanded reach and amplified sales force effectiveness.
- Distribution and logistics: Cold chain and 3PL/4PL solutions ensure products move through the region swiftly and safely, operating on par with global healthcare compliance standard.
- Patient solutions: Regional experts meet with the appropriate stakeholders to deliver patient support programs, provide treatment education, and support medication adherence. They also liaise with public agencies and private insurers to help secure reimbursement -- reducing leakage across the patient journey.
Rather than operating in silos, DKSH Healthcare integrates its business models and functions. Sharing insights, data, and on-the-ground learnings across markets and capabilities enables the company to better coordinate strategies, anticipate market challenges earlier, and execute with greater precision across the product lifecycle. This integrated end-to-end commercialization platform is especially valuable for multi-market rare disease and specialty therapy launches, where success depends on precise coordination across fragmented, diverse markets. Generating insights at every step, DKSH Healthcare serves as a strategic partner in addition to providing execution support.
Partnership Results Across the Region
In late 2025, DKSH Healthcare partnered with a European Biopharma company to commercialize a rare disease medication in Taiwan used primarily to treat a rare, inherited disease that causes progressive central vision loss. DKSH Healthcare’s integrated effort across medical engagement, stakeholder advocacy, and market access resulted in approval and inclusion on the reimbursement list in only 10 months—significantly ahead of the typical 18- to 30-month orphan drug timeline in Taiwan. The compressed timeline helped accelerate physician adoption and, most importantly, improve patient access to the first approved therapy for this condition.
Earlier this month, DKSH Healthcare announced a partnership with BridgeBio Pharma to commercialize a stabilizer to treat transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), a progressive life-threatening disease caused by the buildup of misfolded proteins (amyloid fibrils) in the heart muscle. The medication is now being evaluated for commercial approval across Australia, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The company also partners with global pharma organizations to bring a variety of therapies to under-served patients. For example, DKSH Healthcare recently partnered with Bayer to commercialize cardiovascular products in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, as well as the women’s health retail portfolio in Thailand.
“We are excited about this new partnership with DKSH,” stated Ashraf Al-Ouf, Head of Commercial Operations, Bayer Pharmaceuticals APAC. “DKSH’s extensive healthcare expertise and robust commercial capabilities in Southeast Asia position them as an ideal partner for us especially in Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Together, we are well-equipped to navigate the evolving market landscape, drive sustainable growth, and enhance patient outcomes and accessibility in the region.”
What to Look for in an APAC Commercialization Partner
As both emerging and established biopharma companies invest more heavily in rare disease and precision medicine, the populations across Southeast Asia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia represent significant commercial opportunity. To bring vital therapies to these patient communities, a regional partner with proven expertise can meaningfully accelerate regulatory approvals, reimbursement, and provider adoption.
When vetting potential partners, biopharma companies should look for organizations that bring long-term thinking and a strategic mindset to ensure market expansion in areas where disease awareness may be low. The ability to apply cross-functional insights and data to refine targeting, inform access strategies, and continually optimize execution will further ensure success across multiple markets in a developing region.
References:
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/02/rare-disease-healthcare-asia