NewgLabPharma "Subsidiary's Oral Nafamostat COVID-19 Treatment Phase 2 Clinical Trial Plan Progressing Smoothly"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Newgelab Pharma announced on the 16th that the preparation for Phase 2 clinical trials of the oral COVID-19 treatment drug ‘Newgen Nafamostat Tablets,’ developed by its subsidiary ‘Newgelab Therapeutics,’ is progressing smoothly as planned.

Newgen Nafamostat Tablets is an oral COVID-19 treatment drug being developed through drug repositioning of ‘Nafamostat,’ a drug known as an existing pancreatitis treatment. Since it is based on Nafamostat, it is known to have safety and efficacy against variant viruses. In particular, the strong antiviral effect of Nafamostat against COVID-19 has already been proven through numerous leading global papers and actual treatment cases.

According to research results from Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany and the University of Kent in the UK, Nafamostat showed up to about 50 times greater efficacy compared to Merck’s oral treatment ‘Molnupiravir’ against the Omicron and Delta variants, and about twice the effect in intestinal cells compared to Pfizer’s oral treatment ‘Paxlovid,’ highlighting it again as a promising candidate substance for treating COVID-19 variants.

Oral treatments can be easily taken even during self-quarantine and are effective in preventing severe cases and reducing hospital admission rates. Although the government continues to import oral COVID-19 treatments, many limitations such as efficacy, side effects, and price exist with foreign-developed oral treatments, raising the need for domestic production.

Newgelab Therapeutics has selected the global company ‘Premier Research’ as the contract research organization (CRO) for the Phase 2 clinical trial of Newgen Nafamostat Tablets. Having already succeeded in securing safety and the necessary blood retention time for treatment in Phase 1, they expect the Phase 2 trial to proceed successfully.

A Newgelab Pharma official stated, “Unlike other treatments that started from Phase 2 or 3, Newgen Nafamostat Tablets went through Phase 1 to find the optimal dosage and is currently well-prepared for the efficacy test in Phase 2,” adding, “With the recent rapid spread of Omicron, the need for drug development and national support is expected to increase.”

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