HYUNDAI BIOSCIENCE said on the 27th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with local drugmaker Vefaco to distribute its tropical disease treatment "Zeptee" in Vietnam.
Zeptee is an oral, broad-spectrum antiviral drug candidate the company is developing based on niclosamide, an existing anthelmintic ingredient. HYUNDAI BIOSCIENCE plans to secure a stable supply chain in Vietnam first and then expand to the entire Southeast Asian market.
The MOU is expected to serve as a springboard for the rapid supply of Zeptee. Founded in 1963, Vefaco is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies licensed by the local government to import and distribute prescription drugs, and it currently has a nationwide distribution network covering 34 provinces and cities. It has an extensive network encompassing about 2,300 hospitals, about 3,500 clinics, and about 27,000 pharmacies.
HYUNDAI BIOSCIENCE's push to secure a supply chain for Zeptee is backed by confidence in clinical trials and product approval. Zeptee is undergoing a combined phase 2/3 "basket trial" in Vietnam. This trial is the world's first clinical case of a universal antiviral, verifying treatment efficacy by administering the same drug to patients with different viral infections such as dengue fever, COVID-19, influenza A, and Zika fever. If the clinical results are positive, they could lead directly to product approval.
Aiming for clinical success early next year, HYUNDAI BIOSCIENCE earlier signed a global collaboration with the international nonprofit drug development organization Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) to develop a dengue fever treatment based on Zeptee.
If the trial succeeds, Zeptee will become the world's first oral dengue fever treatment. In Vietnam, more than about 400,000 people are diagnosed with dengue fever each year, and the potential patient population is estimated at about 2 million. Including influenza and Zika fever, the company believes there is an annual unmet medical need in the millions.
Based on this partnership, HYUNDAI BIOSCIENCE plans to use Vietnam as a bridgehead for the Southeast Asian market. If the Zeptee trial succeeds, it plans to immediately supply the drug across Vietnam using Vefaco's distribution network and rapidly expand to neighboring countries such as Cambodia and Laos. By establishing a one-stop distribution system, the company intends to swiftly operate the entire process of production, import, logistics, and distribution immediately after approval.
Jeong Jin-hwan, vice president of HYUNDAI BIOSCIENCE, said, "The strong interest Vietnam's health authorities and medical community are showing in Zeptee clearly demonstrates the need and potential of this innovative new drug," adding, "We will do our best to expand supply to neighboring Asian countries with Vietnam at the center and to rise as a treatment hub in Southeast Asia."