JW Jungwoo, European Patent Granted for Manufacturing Method of Gout Treatment New Drug Candidate 'URC102'

JW Choongwae Pharmaceutical CI (Provided by JW Choongwae Pharmaceutical)

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] JW Pharmaceutical's new gout treatment drug candidate 'URC102' has received a patent for its manufacturing method as a core technology in Europe.

JW Pharmaceutical announced on the 6th that the European Patent Office (EPO) has decided to register a patent for the manufacturing technology of URC102. This patent pertains to the manufacturing method of the compound that serves as the main ingredient of URC102 and the intermediate used in the process.

URC102, being developed as an oral medication, is a uric acid excretion promoter that works by inhibiting URAT1. It is a promising new drug candidate effective for gout caused by hyperuricemia, a condition characterized by abnormally high uric acid levels in the blood.

JW Pharmaceutical completed the domestic Phase 2b clinical trial of URC102 in March. The clinical trial involved 171 Korean gout patients, and the results met both primary and secondary efficacy evaluation criteria, while also confirming safety and tolerability.

In 2019, JW Pharmaceutical licensed the development and sales rights for the Chinese market (including Hong Kong and Macau) of URC102 to China's Simcere Pharmaceutical. JW Pharmaceutical is also pursuing additional global technology exports.

Following the decision by the European Patent Office, JW Pharmaceutical plans to complete the final patent acquisition by undergoing individual document procedures targeting major European countries. Currently, the manufacturing method of URC102 has been patented in Australia and South Africa, and patents have been filed in over 20 countries including Korea, the United States, Japan, and China.

A JW Pharmaceutical official stated, “The global patenting of the URC102 manufacturing method is progressing smoothly,” and added, “We will continue to develop URC102 as a global gout drug candidate combining high safety and excellent efficacy.”

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