Daewoong Pharmaceutical Partners with Tion Therapeutics to Develop Once-Monthly Obesity Treatment

Full-Scale Innovation in Long-Acting Formulations

Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on May 8 that it has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Tion Therapeutics for the global development and commercialization of a once-monthly long-acting injectable formulation of semaglutide for obesity treatment.

This agreement was established to secure competitiveness in the global obesity treatment market by combining Tion Therapeutics’ long-acting drug delivery platform technology with Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s capabilities in development, clinical trials, and commercialization.

A once-monthly long-acting injectable semaglutide jointly developed by Daewoong Pharmaceutical and Tion Therapeutics. Daewoong Pharmaceutical

This represents an open innovation model that leverages the strengths of both a biotech startup and a major pharmaceutical company. It enables smaller biotech firms to share the burdens of global clinical trials and regulatory approvals, which are often difficult to manage independently, while allowing large pharmaceutical companies to accelerate both technology acquisition and commercialization. Through this complementary structure, it is expected to lay a solid foundation for the Korean pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to enter the global market in earnest.

The focus of the collaboration is the joint development of a once-monthly long-acting injectable semaglutide, integrating Tion Therapeutics’ proprietary 'Quject®Sphere' platform and Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s proprietary 'CURE®' platform.

The two platforms serve different functions. Quject®Sphere is designed to suppress the initial drug release through specialized micro-particle coating based on a unique formulation. The CURE® platform utilizes an inlet nozzle process to produce microspheres (micro-drug particles) of uniform size, thereby improving particle uniformity and enabling a sustained and consistent drug release rate.

As a result, the annual number of injections can be reduced from 52 to 12 compared to the existing once-weekly regimen, significantly improving patient convenience and medication adherence. Since obesity is a chronic condition that requires long-term management, and both convenience and continuity of treatment are crucial in addition to efficacy, this innovative formulation is expected to become a meaningful alternative in the market.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical, which is leading the clinical development of this project, has completed preparations to accelerate the development process. The two companies completed the submission of a domestic Investigational New Drug (IND) application for this project in April and plan to begin both domestic clinical trials and global development in earnest, aiming to administer the first dose to patients within this year.

Based on its experience in global clinical trials and its development strategy grounded in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD), Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to maximize the chances of success from Phase 1 clinical trials and develop the product as a globally competitive long-acting obesity treatment.

This agreement goes beyond a simple financial investment, aiming to reinforce the effectiveness and sustainability of collaboration between the two companies. Close cooperation is expected throughout all stages, from development to commercialization. The two companies plan to enhance product competitiveness through stepwise collaboration and establish themselves as providers of differentiated treatment options in the global obesity treatment market.

Seongsu Park, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, stated, "Through this agreement, we have completed a top-tier portfolio in the obesity treatment field. Based on our global clinical and manufacturing capabilities, we will provide more convenient and effective treatment options to patients worldwide."

Deoksoo Lim, CEO of Tion Therapeutics, commented, "Through our partnership with Daewoong Pharmaceutical, we have established a foundation for both domestic clinical trials and global expansion. By introducing an innovative product that delivers equal or greater efficacy than existing therapies with just one monthly injection, we aim to set a new standard in obesity treatment."

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