[Special Stock] Ildong Pharmaceutical's Oral COVID-19 Treatment 'Hope' Expected in April Next Year... Lower Dosage Compared to Pfizer and MSD

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Ildong Pharmaceutical is showing strong performance day after day. Ildong Pharmaceutical's antiviral drug `S-217622` is at the fastest clinical stage among COVID-19 treatments being developed domestically. The expectation that clinical trials will be completed in the first half of next year and emergency use approval will be obtained is believed to be influencing the stock price. Choi Sung-gu, Vice President of Ildong Pharmaceutical, stated at the '2021 Korea Bio Investment Conference' held on the 6th, "We plan to complete the clinical trial of the COVID-19 treatment 'S-217622' by the end of January next year," adding, "The goal is to launch it in April next year."

As of 1:27 PM on the 14th, Ildong Pharmaceutical was trading at 24,700 KRW, up 8.81% (2,000 KRW) compared to the previous trading day.

On the 17th of last month, Ildong Pharmaceutical agreed to jointly develop the substance as a COVID-19 treatment with Japan's Shionogi Pharmaceutical. Currently, there are only two oral COVID-19 products developed, by Pfizer and MSD, and these products are expected to be available for use soon.

The COVID-19 treatment `S-217622` being developed orally by Ildong Pharmaceutical inhibits the proteinase (3CL-protease) that exists only in the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the infectious agent causing COVID-19, thereby preventing virus replication. It has been confirmed to have similar levels of virus replication inhibition ability against the Alpha, Gamma, and Delta COVID-19 variants, and it is expected to create a significant impact if successfully commercialized.

This new drug candidate is being developed exclusively targeting COVID-19, differing from drug repurposing that uses existing substances approved or developed for other indications.

Another feature of `S-217622` is its dosing convenience. Pfizer's Paxlovid requires taking 3 pills twice daily for 5 days, totaling 30 pills, and MSD's Lagevrio requires 40 pills over 5 days. In contrast, the product being developed by Ildong is designed for once-daily dosing over 5 days.

If Ildong Pharmaceutical succeeds in commercializing the candidate substance, it is expected to be able to supply the product stably. Through technology transfer, Ildong Pharmaceutical will be responsible for production and supply of the product domestically. Successful commercialization means that access to treatment for domestic patients could be much higher than imagined.

The Korea Exchange designated Ildong Pharmaceutical's stock as a short-term overheating item on the 9th. From the 10th to the 14th, Ildong Pharmaceutical's stock will be traded using a single-price trading method every 30 minutes for 3 trading days.

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