Daewoong Pharmaceutical is teaming up with startup Tionlab Therapeutics to develop a "once-monthly" obesity treatment.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical said on the 8th that it signed a strategic partnership agreement with Tionlab Therapeutics for global development and commercialization of a once-monthly long-acting semaglutide-based injection. Semaglutide is the generic name for glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 obesity and diabetes drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic.
The two companies plan to jointly develop a long-acting formulation by combining Tionlab Therapeutics' long-acting drug delivery platform "Quject®Sphere" and Daewoong Pharmaceutical's microparticle manufacturing platform "CURE®."
Current GLP-1 obesity injection treatments are administered once a week, but the strategy is to develop a once-monthly injection to reduce the dosing burden and target the global market.
Quject Sphere is a technology that suppresses initial drug release, and CURE is a technology that manufactures uniformly sized microspheres to maintain consistent drug release over a prolonged period. By combining the two platforms, the companies said they aim to reduce initial burst release while achieving a stable, sustained release pattern.
The company said this could cut the annual number of doses from 52 to around 12 compared with existing once-weekly formulations.
The two companies filed an investigational new drug (IND) application in Korea in April and plan to begin clinical development with the goal of dosing the first patient within the year. Daewoong Pharmaceutical will handle global clinical operations and commercialization, while Tionlab Therapeutics will focus on advancing the platform technologies.
With this collaboration, Daewoong Pharmaceutical said it has further expanded its obesity treatment portfolio. Building on its oral obesity drug and microneedle patch development, the company said it has secured a long-acting injection as well, establishing a range of administration options.
The global obesity drug market is growing rapidly, led by Novo Nordisk's "Wegovy" and Eli Lilly and Company's "Mounjaro (zepbound)."
As the obesity drug market shifts toward long-term dosing and administration, dosing convenience and patient adherence are emerging as key competitive factors. In response, numerous companies in and outside Korea are pursuing development and commercialization of long-acting injectable formulations, oral drugs, and patch-type obesity treatments.
Park Sung-su, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, said, "Through this agreement, we have built one of the strongest portfolios in the obesity treatment field," and added, "Based on our global clinical and manufacturing capabilities, we will provide patients with more convenient and effective treatment options."
Lim Deok-su, CEO of Tionlab Therapeutics, said, "Through our collaboration with Daewoong Pharmaceutical, we have simultaneously established a foundation for domestic clinical trials and global expansion," and noted, "With just once-monthly dosing, we will set a new standard in obesity treatment with an innovative product that achieves effects on par with or better than existing therapies."