Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) affects 240 million people worldwide every year. In Korea, 2 million new cases occur annually, and as many as 500,000 people actually visit hospitals. Studies say TMD stems from lack of sleep, stress, and poor lifestyle habits. However, current care focuses only on easing symptoms, such as prescribing painkillers in hospitals, leading to a recurrence rate of over 50%.
BeyondMedicine chief executive Kim Dae-hyun directly confronted this problem while serving as a military doctor. Kim said, "Once people entered the military, many experienced TMD that they rarely had outside," and noted, "But long wait times and poor clinical environments at military hospitals made treatment difficult." The experience prompted Kim to start a company. Leveraging a win in the defense league of the Challenge K-Startup competition, Kim founded BeyondMedicine in May 2022 and began the business in earnest.
The company is developing Clickless, a software medical device for people with TMD. Offered as an app, Clickless is prescribed for use by a doctor after a patient receives a diagnosis at a dental clinic, and guides the patient through cognitive behavioral therapy along with personalized rehabilitation exercises and meditation programs for 10 minutes a day over six weeks using the device.
Classified as a medical device, the product is undergoing approval procedures with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Two clinical trials have been completed, and the company is aiming for approval by the end of the year.
Kim said, "To address the root cause of TMD, you ultimately have to correct lifestyle habits," adding, "Our digital therapeutic guides personalized methods so people can improve the root causes of TMD."
BeyondMedicine is expanding a specialist hospital-centered treatment ecosystem to general dental clinics through digital therapeutics. Kim said, "We simplified the structure so dentists can easily prescribe the app and patients can begin management right away," adding, "Care that used to depend on university hospitals will be available at local hospitals, enabling proactive early treatment."
Korea's TMD market is estimated at about 200 billion won. The global market is assessed to be more than 50 times larger. To expand the market, BeyondMedicine is moving into overseas markets. China, Singapore, and the United States are the first targets. Kim explained, "China and Singapore can recognize the clinical results we obtained in Korea, so entry can be swift," adding, "At the same time, we are aiming for FDA approval in the United States by 2027."
Kim added, "The market will grow further once insurance coverage recognizes it as a reimbursable item." Under the current new medical technology evaluation grace system, new medical technologies operate as nonreimbursable for the first two years after introduction while clinical data are accumulated. Once sufficient evidence is secured, insurance coverage becomes possible, reducing the burden on patients and improving market access.
To date, BeyondMedicine has raised a cumulative 2.1 billion won. Major investors include the Yunmin Creative Investment Foundation, TA Advisor, Digital Healthcare Partners, Korea Credit Guarantee Fund (KODIT), and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance InnoBank. Kim recalled, "Many medical Start - Up companies struggle to get past the initial nonreimbursable phase, but BeyondMedicine was able to endure the difficult period through investment."
Kim said, "Our ultimate goal is to make early treatment for TMD available at any hospital," expressing an ambition that "BeyondMedicine will establish itself as the standard treatment for TMD worldwide."