Korean biotech company SK Biopharmaceuticals and Brazil-based Eurofarma have established a joint venture, Mentis Care, in Canada to commercialise an AI-powered epilepsy management platform. The new company marks SK Biopharmaceuticals’ full-scale expansion into digital healthcare beyond its innovative drug development portfolio.

A launch ceremony was held on October 20 in Toronto, Canada, celebrating the venture’s official debut.   

Since 2018, SK Biopharmaceuticals has built its proprietary expertise in AI-driven electroencephalography (EEG) and wearable device technologies with seizure detection and real-time monitoring. Mentis Care will leverage these technologies to develop a comprehensive digital platform that combines real-time seizure detection and prediction algorithms with clinical decision support tools, creating an integrated system for personalised patient care.

Located in the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto—one of North America’s largest innovation hubs connecting research institutions, startups, and investors in life sciences and healthcare together —Mentis Care plans to expand its local team, strengthen academic and industry collaborations, and pursue clinical validation of its AI algorithms.

As part of the partnership, Eurofarma will lead business strategy planning and AI data learning for the joint venture. The two companies have been collaborating since 2022 to develop and commercialise cenobamate (marketed in the US as XCOPRI), an anti-seizure medication, in Latin America. The establishment of Mentis Care extends this collaboration into the digital health space.

Mentis Care has appointed Hassan Kotob, former CEO of Brain Scientific, as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Kotob, a seasoned healthcare and technology executive, will spearhead the company’s mission to create a first-of-its-kind AI- and data-driven platform for predictive brain health, transforming how seizures and other neurological events are forecast and managed.

"Mentis Care is an AI-driven digital health company with the mission to help patients with epilepsy live safer and more independently through AI-powered seizure prediction and monitoring. By combining the innovation capabilities of our partners, SK Biopharmaceuticals and Eurofarma, we aim to establish a new standard in digital epilepsy management for patients worldwide,” said Hassan Kotob, CEO of Mentis Care.  

Rodrigo Pereira, Global Executive Director of Entrepreneurship and Digital at Eurofarma, highlighted that the joint venture aligns with Eurofarma’s vision of integrating digital technologies with medicine to improve patient outcomes.  

“We are a reference in central nervous system treatments in Latin America, with a broad portfolio of medicines and close relationships with psychiatrists and neurologists. For some years now, we have added digital innovation investments to our R&D activities, and since 2022, we have maintained a small operation in North America. With this new partnership, we will strengthen these fronts in a single move,” Pereira said.

SK Biopharmaceuticals is expanding beyond pharmaceuticals into digital healthcare to open new possibilities in patient care.

Donghoon Lee, CEO of SK Biopharmaceuticals, said the company’s move into digital healthcare represents its commitment to advancing patient-centred innovation.

"Through Mentis Care, we will advance toward patient-centered innovation by integrating AI and clinical data to improve epilepsy treatment,” Lee stated.

Photo - From left: Rodrigo Pereira (Global Executive Director of Entrepreneurship and Digital, Eurofarma), Shelley Carroll (Toronto City Councillor & Budget Chief), Donghoon Lee (CEO, SK Biopharmaceuticals), Victor Fedeli (Ontario Province Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade), Hassan Kotob (CEO, Mentis Care), Stephen Lund (CEO, Toronto Global), Khawar Nasim