GCGC Wellbeing(234690) said on the 14th that animal test results confirming the pain-relief effect of the placenta-derived injection "Laennec" and its potential for use in combination with steroids were published in the international journal "Scientific Reports."
Conducted jointly with a Yonsei University research team, the study administered Laennec to rats in which pain was induced to confirm its analgesic effect and mechanism of action, and evaluated the effect when used in combination with dexamethasone, a steroid.
The results showed that the Laennec-treated group had reduced sensitivity to pain, and the analgesic effect increased as the dose increased. Expression of c-fos and p-PKC, indicators involved in neuronal activation and pain signal transmission in response to painful stimuli, also decreased significantly.
In particular, when low-dose dexamethasone was administered with Laennec, a pain-relief effect similar to that of high-dose dexamethasone alone was observed. While the body weight of rats given only steroids fell to about 88% of normal, the group given Laennec in combination maintained normal body weight.
Laennec is a prescription drug made by hydrolyzing components extracted from human placenta and is currently approved to improve liver function in patients with chronic liver disease.
GC Wellbeing said the study suggests the potential of a combination therapy strategy that can maintain analgesic effects while reducing steroid use. However, it noted that these results were confirmed in animal tests and that additional clinical studies are needed to assess efficacy and safety in humans.
Meanwhile, GC Wellbeing has completed phase 3 clinical trials of a high-dose intravenous (IV) regimen of Laennec and plans to apply for a label change to the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety within the year.
References
Scientific Reports (2026), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-51520-z