Hanmi Pharm "World's First Monthly Dosage Drug for Short Bowel Syndrome Shows Excellent Efficacy"

Hanmi Pharm Headquarters Exterior (Photo by Hanmi Pharm)

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Hanmi Pharmaceutical's bio-drug 'LAPS GLP-2 Analog,' the world's first monthly injectable treatment for short bowel syndrome, has demonstrated excellent efficacy in research results, confirming its development potential.

Hanmi Pharmaceutical announced on the 13th that it presented research results on the short bowel syndrome treatment bio-drug LAPS GLP-2 Analog through oral and poster presentations at the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN), held online from the 9th to the 14th.

LAPS GLP-2 Analog is a long-acting bio-drug developed using Hanmi Pharmaceutical's proprietary platform technology, LAPScovery. It is an innovative treatment developed to enable the world's first 'once-monthly' administration through sustained activity in the body and excellent villus cell growth-promoting effects. In 2019, it was designated as an orphan drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and later received FDA designations as a Rare Pediatric Disease (RPD) and Fast Track development drug. It currently has approval for global Phase 2 clinical trials in the United States and Germany.

Short bowel syndrome is a rare intractable disease caused by congenital or postnatal surgical resection resulting in the loss of more than 60% of small intestine function, leading to malabsorption and malnutrition. It occurs in approximately 24.5 out of every 100,000 newborns, severely affecting growth during childhood and adolescence, with a survival rate below 50%. Long-term artificial nutritional supplementation such as total parenteral nutrition is required for growth and life maintenance, significantly impacting patients' quality of life.

According to the recent research results, compared to models treated with the currently only available daily short bowel syndrome treatment or the weekly long-acting treatment under development, the group administered LAPS GLP-2 Analog once monthly showed greater increases in small intestine growth and absorption capacity. Furthermore, switching from the existing daily treatment to once-monthly LAPS GLP-2 Analog also demonstrated superior efficacy.

Kwon Se-chang, CEO of Hanmi Pharmaceutical, said, "We are pleased to confirm the possibility that LAPS GLP-2 Analog can offer a better treatment option than existing therapies," adding, "We will do our best to accelerate global clinical trials and bring forward the commercialization timeline to improve the quality of life for patients with short bowel syndrome."

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