Daewoong Pharmaceutical(069620) and the medical imaging artificial intelligence (AI) corporations Promedius will move to early screen for osteoporosis using chest X-rays.
The company said on the 27th that it signed a domestic sales and distribution and joint promotion agreement with Promedius for Osteo Signal, a chest X-ray-based AI osteoporosis risk screening solution.
The two companies will use this agreement to expand the distribution of Osteo Signal to domestic medical institutions. Daewoong Pharmaceutical will use its nationwide network of medical institutions and its sales and marketing capabilities to grow the market, and Promedius will support adoption in clinical settings based on medical imaging AI technology.
Osteo Signal analyzes chest X-ray images taken during health checkups or routine care with AI to present osteoporosis risk. Without additional imaging, it uses existing X-rays to identify at-risk groups for osteoporosis and helps find patients who need further tests such as bone density scans.
Osteo Signal is building technical and clinical evidence through domestic clinical research. In 2024, it won the "2024 Digital Healthcare Challenge," co-hosted by Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and the UCLA Smart Health Center, as an AI-based osteoporosis screening solution.
The two companies plan to expand Osteo Signal's distribution, focusing on medical institutions with high volumes of chest X-ray imaging, such as health checkup centers and hospitals and clinics.
Osteoporosis often has no clear symptoms until fractures occur, making diagnosis easy to delay. Some patients miss the treatment window because they do not undergo bone density scans even when at risk. The companies said that using AI to identify at-risk groups during the X-ray process can lead to additional tests and treatment.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to expand its osteoporosis management by adding AI-based early screening to its existing osteoporosis treatments business. It aims to build an integrated management model that connects risk group identification to advanced testing, diagnosis, and treatment.
Lee Chang-jae, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, said, "In recent clinical settings, a new medical paradigm that uses AI to detect early warning signs of disease and connect the right patients to precision diagnosis and appropriate treatment is becoming increasingly important," adding, "Through Osteo Signal, we will identify at-risk groups for osteoporosis from existing chest X-rays and connect them to bone density scans and diagnosis, while at the treatment stage, we will build an integrated osteoporosis management model that runs from early screening to diagnosis and treatment through Daewoong Pharmaceutical's treatment options, including the osteoporosis drug 'Stovoclo.'"
Bae Hyun-jin, CEO of Promedius, said, "With Daewoong Pharmaceutical's strong execution in clinical settings added to the technical and clinical foundation we have built through domestic and international research, we will move in earnest to distribute Osteo Signal so it can be widely used in real-world clinical practice."