KiOmed Pharma accelerates its international growth with CE mark for KYTOGEN DEFEND, its first aesthetic medicine product
KYTOGEN DEFEND is the second certified medical device from KiOmed Pharma, following KioMedinevsone, which is already sold in more than 30 countries and has just been approved in Brazil. It marks the company’s entry into aesthetic medicine. Sinclair, a subsidiary of the Huadong Medicine group, will market the product internationally.
KiOmed Pharma, a Belgian specialty pharmaceutical company developing and marketing innovative injectable medical devices based on non-animal chitosan, today announced that KYTOGEN DEFEND® has received CE marking under the European Medical Device Regulation (MDR).
A next-generation biomaterial
For some twenty years, the dermal filler market has been built largely on hyaluronic acid, which accounts for around three quarters of global sales. KYTOGEN DEFEND brings a different biomaterial to the field: CM-chitosan, a highly purified polysaccharide extracted from the white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. It is the product of nearly fifteen years of research at the Liège laboratories of KiOmed Pharma and KitOzyme.
Kytogen Defend is indicated for superficial tissue filling and for improving skin aspect — such as roughness — and epidermal hydration on the face and décolleté in adults with dehydrated skin. Its mode of action sets it apart from conventional fillers: injected into the superficial dermis, it helps protect the skin’s own hyaluronic acid and reduce oxidative stress in skin cells.
KYTOGEN DEFEND sits within the fast-growing “skin booster” segment – injectables designed to improve skin quality. This global market was worth around USD 1.5 billion in 2025 and is expected to more than double by 2034.
A new milestone in KiOmed Pharma’s commercial expansion
The CE mark for KYTOGEN DEFEND comes as KiOmed Pharma’s international business gathers pace. The company’s first product, KioMedinevsone, for the symptomatic treatment of knee osteoarthritis, is already sold in more than 30 countries, including China. Its recent approval in Brazil opens one of Latin America’s largest healthcare markets and adds to the product’s international growth prospects.
KYTOGEN DEFEND takes this a step further, extending KiOmed Pharma’s proprietary CM-chitosan platform into a portfolio of products addressing several global markets.
« The CE mark for KYTOGEN DEFEND confirms our ability to turn our proprietary technology into differentiated products that win approval and reach patients around the world. After rolling out KioMedinevsone in more than 30 countries and securing approval in Brazil, we are now opening a second growth pillar in aesthetic medicine. This diversification reinforces our ambition to make KiOmed Pharma a leader in innovative injectable medical devices », said Houtaï Choumane, CEO of KiOmed Pharma.
KYTOGEN DEFEND® will be marketed by SINCLAIR, a global aesthetic medicine company operating in more than 55 countries and a subsidiary of the Shenzhen-listed pharmaceutical group HUADONG MEDICINE.
Under an exclusive licence agreement, Sinclair will commercialise the product in the major international markets outside the United States, with a European launch planned before the end of the year.
In China, where the product is in clinical development, a 500-patient multicentre study completed enrolment in January 2026 to support registration on the Chinese market.
« When we founded the company, we set out to build a platform on a genuinely novel technology – one with no equivalent anywhere – capable of generating medical solutions across several fields. With two certified devices, in osteoarthritis and aesthetic medicine, strong international partnerships and a commercial footprint on four continents, we are now delivering on that founding ambition », commented François Blondel, Executive Chairman and founder of KiOmed Pharma.
About KiOmed Pharma
KiOmed Pharma is a Belgian specialty pharmaceutical company that develops and markets innovative injectable medical devices derived from its proprietary non-animal CM-chitosan platform.
Based in Liège, the company employs around fifty people. Its pipeline addresses several high-potential areas, including osteoarthritis, aesthetic medicine and ophthalmology.
A spin-out of KitoZyme, KiOmed Pharma draws on deep expertise in the chemistry of natural chitosan. Its first medical device, KioMedinevsone, is an injectable for the symptomatic treatment of refractory knee osteoarthritis, given as a single intra-articular injection and already sold in more than 30 countries.
About Sinclair Aesthetics
Sinclair is a global aesthetic medicine company operating in more than 55 countries. Its portfolio spans injectables, energy-based devices, toxins and active skincare, backed by eight research laboratories worldwide. Sinclair is a subsidiary of the Huadong Medicine group.
www.sinclair.com
Press contacts
Houtaï Choumane
Chief Executive Officer
moc.amrahpdemoik@tcatnoc
Céline Thiriart
Communication Manager
moc.amrahpdemoik@trairiht.enilec
