Jilgyeongi, Patent for Neurodegenerative Disease Treatment Composition... "Accelerating Development of Urinary Incontinence Medication"

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] Jilkyungyi announced on the 20th that it has obtained a patent for a composition for the prevention and treatment of nervous system diseases. The patented technology will be utilized in the development of pharmaceuticals related to treatments for neurotoxin poisoning and applied to incontinence treatments currently under research.

The patented technology can be used as a raw material for prevention and treatment of nervous system diseases caused by cholinergic effects, such as convulsions, headaches, hyperhidrosis, incontinence, hypersensitivity disorders, tic disorders, early symptoms of dementia, Parkinson's disease, asthma, and cholinergic urticaria.

It can also be used as a treatment for neurotoxin agents such as sarin and soman. Sarin is a highly toxic compound existing in liquid and gas forms that damages the central nervous system and can be fatal. It was also used in the 1995 Tokyo Aum Shinrikyo terrorist attack in Japan.

Based on this technology, Jilkyungyi plans to focus on research for incontinence treatments. The main cause of incontinence is the involuntary release of urine caused by contraction of the detrusor muscle before the bladder is sufficiently filled. The detrusor muscle contracts through activation of muscarinic receptors of the parasympathetic nervous system by acetylcholine. Existing treatments are anticholinergics that block muscarinic receptors in the detrusor muscle to suppress premature contraction before the bladder is fully filled.

The incontinence treatment under research by Jilkyungyi acts directly on acetylcholine in incontinence patients to fundamentally block the response with muscarinic receptors, immediately preventing detrusor muscle contraction and retaining urine. The recombinant protein derived from the Pseudomonas aeruginosa cholinesterase gene, which is Jilkyungyi’s patented technology, has low sensitivity to inhibitors and high activity toward acetylcholine, unlike existing cholinesterases.

The number of incontinence patients is increasing and the scope is expanding. According to the Korean Continence Society, the prevalence of incontinence among women over 30 in Korea is 41.2%, with approximately 4.2 million people affected. Additionally, data released by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service in 2019 shows that the number of patients visiting hospitals for incontinence was 134,368 at the end of 2018. Not only women but also male incontinence patients are showing a clear upward trend. The number of male incontinence patients increased by about 24%, from 8,065 in 2009 to 10,079 in five years.

As of 2016, the total market related to incontinence is estimated to be about 86 billion KRW. With Korea entering an aging society, the market size is expected to grow further.

Choi Wonseok, CEO of Jilkyungyi, said, “This patent registration once again proves Jilkyungyi’s technological capabilities,” and added, “For the many incontinence patients who suffer due to neglect or lack of proper treatment, Jilkyungyi plans to accelerate the development of incontinence treatments based on this patented technology.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.