바이오스펙테이터

바이오스펙테이터 Jongwon Jang 기자

Ildong Pharma has acquired “the composition of matter” patent for Lucentis, and is also expecting to develop ophthalmic preparations through improving drug effectiveness and drug delivery efficiency

▲일동제약 중앙연구소

Ildong Pharmaceutical announced on the 2nd of April that they have acquired the composition of matter patent for ‘IDB0062’, a drug candidate for retinal disorders. Ildong is now planning to initiate phase I trials for the drug candidate this year.

IDB0062 is a biobetter of Ranibizumab, which inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), the main cause of retinal disorders, and which is used for treating neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema.

While improving th eefficiency of manufacturing the drug by modifying the protein genes of Ranibizumab, it is also designed to augment drug efficacy and improve drug resistance issue, through applying tissue-penetrating peptide platform technology.

An Ildong representative said “As a part of the ‘Regional Focus Project’ supported by the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ildong has studied the drug candidate in the stage of non-clinical trials, and our goal now is to start phase I clinical trials this year.

According to animal test results, IDB0062 showed superior drug effectiveness compared to Ranibizumab, and good drug delivery efficiency into ocular tissues. Thus, Ildong believe that IDB0062 may be developed as ophthalmic preparation, as well as injection type.

Furthermore, in the efficacy test using human retinal cell, it was confirmed that the efficacy of IBD0062 was superior to that of Eylea®, which recently gained significant market share, as well as that of Ranibizumab.

Ildong said “Aside from acquiring a patent in South Korea, we have also filed patents in major countries, including the USA, Europe, China, and Japan. We plan to proceed to various commercial strategies, such as new drug development or license-out, depending on the future developing situation.”