Hyundai Bio and Dongkook Pharmaceutical Sign Agreement for Production and Supply of COVID-19 Oral Antiviral 'CP-COV03' (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Hyundai Bio and Dongkook Pharmaceutical announced on the 9th that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the production and supply of 'CP-COV03,' an oral antiviral drug under development for COVID-19.

Through this agreement with Hyundai Bio, Dongkook Pharmaceutical will be able to handle the production of finished products and supply of raw materials together with Yooyoung Pharmaceutical, the primary contract manufacturer of CP-COV03, once the drug receives emergency use authorization.

The main ingredient of CP-COV03, niclosamide, activates the autophagy process in host cells upon viral infection, thereby blocking viral replication. It has a mechanism of action that is broadly effective against viral diseases regardless of viral mutations, making it a promising substance for treating highly mutated COVID-19.

Hyundai Bio plans to increase the number of patients according to the criteria and conduct integrated Phase 2a and 2b clinical trials, aiming to apply for emergency use authorization by next month as soon as the health authorities approve the Phase 2 clinical trial plan for CP-COV03.

A Hyundai Bio official stated, "Once CP-COV03 receives emergency use authorization and is officially launched, a production network capable of promptly responding to both domestic and global demand is necessary," adding, "We signed an agreement with Dongkook Pharmaceutical to expand the production line to ensure stable supply of CP-COV03."

A Dongkook Pharmaceutical official said, "We have successfully applied various formulation technologies to produce products and have carried out formulation and production for major clinical samples and commercial manufacturing both domestically and internationally. Based on this technology and experience, once CP-COV03 is launched, we can serve as a strong production network capable of meeting domestic and global demand," and added, "We will continue to expand business cooperation between the two companies for the successful domestic and global development of CP-COV03."

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