NewJeLab "Easy Home Use of COVID-19 Treatment"… Patent Filed for Napamostat in Pill Form

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] Newgelab is set to actively develop the oral antiviral drug 'Nafamostat' for the treatment of COVID-19. The existing 'Nafamostat' under development is in an intravenous form that requires hospitalization for 24 hours of continuous infusion, but if developed as a pill, patients will be able to conveniently take the treatment at home.

On the 25th, Newgelab announced that it has completed the patent application for the oral formulation of the COVID-19 treatment drug 'Nafamostat'. Newgelab is participating in the Phase 2 clinical trial of Nafamostat for COVID-19 treatment as a project under the Ministry of Science and ICT, in collaboration with Gyeongsang National University Hospital.

The strong antiviral effect of Nafamostat against COVID-19 has already been demonstrated at the cellular experiment stage. However, since development has only proceeded in the intravenous form, patients must be hospitalized for 24 hours to receive the infusion. This poses significant inconvenience for COVID-19 patients.

Han Shinyoung, director at Newgelab participating in the clinical trial, said, “With the patent application through this formulation research, medication convenience will be improved, opening the way for COVID-19 patients to self-administer 'Nafamostat' at home during isolation without the need for hospitalization.”

He added, "This could bring about a revolutionary change," and "We are preparing additional patent applications for other administration methods besides oral dosing."

In addition to the ongoing clinical trial of the intravenous drip formulation of 'Nafamostat' with Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Newgelab plans to apply for clinical trial approval (IND) from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as soon as preclinical studies of the newly patented oral formulation are completed.

In Japan, companies such as Daiichi Sankyo and the University of Tokyo are jointly developing an inhaled form of Nafamostat, and formulation development research is actively progressing both domestically and internationally. Hanmi Pharmaceutical has also expressed interest in developing an oral COVID-19 vaccine, reflecting strong industry interest. Newgelab’s patent application is attracting significant attention from industry insiders.

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