Daewoong Pharmaceutical-Sky Therapeutics Launch Development of 'Oral Medicine for Skin'

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Daewoong Pharmaceutical is advancing the development of 'transdermal absorption' formulation therapeutics that are applied or attached to the skin for absorption.

On the 28th, Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 29th that it had signed a joint research and development contract for transdermal absorption formulation therapeutics with Sky Therapeutics, a drug delivery platform bio-venture company. Transdermal absorption formulations are applied or attached to the skin to exert their effects. Unlike conventional oral formulations, they do not pass through the digestive system, thus avoiding gastrointestinal side effects or drug inactivation caused by the liver's first-pass effect.

Going forward, the two companies will apply Sky Therapeutics' technology to develop transdermal absorption formulations using substances with enhanced solubility and bioavailability as the main components, and jointly research and develop therapeutics targeting various chronic skin diseases. Sky Therapeutics will supply the active pharmaceutical ingredients (DS) with improved bioavailability, while Daewoong Pharmaceutical will develop these into pharmaceuticals (DP) and be responsible for preclinical and clinical trials.

Sky Therapeutics, established in 2019, is a bio-venture company that owns the drug delivery technology platform ‘MOASISTM,’ developed to dramatically improve the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. MOASIS is a technology that maximizes drug solubility and bioavailability, enabling improvements to existing products, changes in administration routes, and expansion of new indications.

In particular, although transdermal absorption formulations have various advantages, there are concerns that drugs may crystallize over time, affecting efficacy. However, by combining this with the MOASIS platform technology that can enhance solubility, it is expected that the commercialization of drugs that were difficult to develop due to low absorption and solubility will become possible.

Seungho Jeon, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, said, “We expect to secure a new transdermal absorption formulation pipeline by combining Sky Therapeutics' unique drug delivery platform with Daewoong Pharmaceutical's innovative research technology,” and added, “Through this agreement, we will build a long-term cooperative relationship between Sky Therapeutics and Daewoong Pharmaceutical.” Kim Cheolhwan, CEO of Sky Therapeutics, also stated, “We will strive to achieve results in the development of transdermal absorption formulation therapeutics through research cooperation with Daewoong Pharmaceutical, which has excellent new drug development capabilities.”

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