LG Chem(1,000,000 +3.95%)Announced on the 13th that it will attend the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference and highlight key achievements for 40 new drug candidates.
Sohn Ji-woong, head of the Life Science Division, introduces candidates for metabolic diseases and cell therapy for anticancer and immune diseases at LG Chem’s session that night.
On this day, LG Chem will announce the achievements of gout treatment, which is being developed with the aim of being the best in class drug in the group, and hereditary obesity treatment designated as an orphan drug by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The gout treatment that LG Chem is developing is a new drug that suppresses the excessive production of uric acid (XO), the main cause of gout. In phase 1 clinical trials in the United States, it was confirmed that taking one tablet a day, regardless of meals, effectively reduced uric acid levels.
In addition, hepatotoxicity and adverse cardiovascular reactions were not confirmed. LG Chem plans to end phase 2 clinical trials in the US in the second quarter of this year and analyze the test results.
Hereditary obesity treatment, which is undergoing phase 1 clinical trial in the US, has a mechanism to activate the appetite control protein’MC4R’. It is expected to be the first drug to be eaten in the family. It is explained that it is attracting attention from the market due to its high convenience. LG Chem was designated as an orphan drug by the US FDA in September last year for a new drug project for obesity.
In addition, the competitiveness of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) treatment is also introduced. The candidate NASH drug is a mechanism that inhibits the expression of’VAP-1′, a protein related to liver inflammation and fibrosis. It is in phase 1 clinical trial in the United States. Preclinical trials have confirmed safety with high selective action on the target protein and no risk of drug-drug interactions. Phase 1 clinical trials are planned to be completed in the first quarter of 2022.
In the field of anticancer and immune diseases, cell therapy products such as chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) are being developed. LG Chem plans to accelerate the development of innovative cancer treatments by applying the technology of’CAR-T’ and’Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC)’ technology, which is an immune anti-cancer cell therapy platform. In addition, the goal is to actively develop next-generation stem cell therapy products using therapeutic genes.
Ji-woong Sohn, head of LG Chem’s Life Sciences Business Division, said, “Over the four years after the merger, we have significantly expanded the number of new drug projects to about 40 through R&D investment and open innovation of about 600 billion won.” He said, “We will make a full-fledged leap forward as a global bio company with a foundation for securing competitiveness and continuously launching innovative new drugs.”
Reporter Kim Ye-na [email protected]
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