At the JP Morgan (JPM) Healthcare Conference, Korean Bio (K-Bio) received significantly more attention and recognition. There’s a palpable sense that our industry’s standing has improved. As the South Korean stock market grows, we anticipate parallel expansion in the biotech sector.
Lee Seul-ki, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of D&D Pharmatech, couldn’t hide her enthusiasm before her Asia-Pacific (APAC) track presentation at the 44th JPM Healthcare Conference. He’s acutely aware of the company’s elevated status and is committed to proving its worth through robust clinical data.
On Wednesday, a day before her APAC presentation, Lee met with reporters from South Korea in San Francisco, where the JPM event is taking place. After receiving its first official invitation to this prestigious event last year, D&D Pharmatech is now stepping up to present, further cementing its position in the industry.
Lee stated that they”re honored to have this platform. Its goal is to spotlight the advantages of the promising treatment for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). It’ll also be introducing the oral GLP-1 obesity treatment, another key focus for them.
He added that while global investors show keen interest in biotech firms, their understanding can be limited. It’s gratifying to see their eagerness to learn more about the company. Lee noted that some even predict Korea will enter the KOSPI 6000 era, indicating high expectations for the market.
During her APAC track presentation, Lee will unveil interim data from the 12-week and 24-week dosing of the MASH candidate drug DD01, currently in Phase 2 clinical trials in the U.S. Key metrics, including the rate of liver fat reduction, will be central to the presentation.
DD01 is a long-acting dual-action agent Targeting both GLP-1 and glucagon receptors. The company has completed dosing for the last patient in the Phase 2 trial. Leveraging these interim results, D&D Pharmatech plans to actively pursue technology transfers with global pharmaceutical companies ahead of the final data announcement slated for the first half of this year.
Shifting Focus to Clinical Trials for Next-Generation Products
Lee remarked that they’ve been public for about 18 months now, and they’ve hit all its targets from last year. it is optimistic about the clinical results. Since initiating trials in 2018, they’ve built substantial experience. Once it wraps up DD01’s trials, the focus will shift to clinical trials for the next wave of products.
D&D Pharmatech has developed a comprehensive pipeline covering the entire disease spectrum, including the next-generation MASH candidate TLY012. This drug targets patients with end-stage fibrosis and cirrhosis.
Lee elaborated that they’ve secured the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Investigational New Drug (IND) applications across multiple rare disease indications. The next frontier after MASH involves patients with severe liver hardening, who currently have no options beyond transplants. The products are tailored for these patients, and they’re aiming to establish a clear concept through accelerated clinical trials.
He continued that its strategy is to forge partnerships with big pharma based on successful clinical outcomes, with the ultimate goal of revenue generation. It has high hopes for DD01 and anticipates concrete achievements beyond this flagship product as well.
Addressing the emerging trend of artificial intelligence (AI) in drug development, he revealed that they’ve compiled extensive brain-related big data and are in discussions with major tech companies. It’ll be sharing more on this front at the company level when the time is right.