[Click eStock] "VivaZon Pharmaceutical Expected to Shift Pain Treatment Paradigm"

The Korea IR Association Research Center reported on August 6 that VivaZon Pharmaceutical is drawing attention as a new alternative in the pain treatment market with the upcoming commercialization of Korea's first non-narcotic analgesic, VVZ-149 (brand name: Onapraju). The center did not provide an investment opinion or target price.

Park Sunyoung, a research fellow at the Korea IR Association, explained, "Onapraju is a first-in-class innovative drug that delivers pain relief comparable to narcotic analgesics but without central nervous system side effects," and added, "It received product approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety at the end of last year and is scheduled for domestic launch in the third quarter."

She continued, "With the commercialization of Onapraju, the company will accelerate its mid- to long-term growth strategy centered on new drug development, including the resumption of global Phase 3 clinical trials, seeking approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and developing follow-up pipelines." She also assessed, "Amid structural changes in the pain treatment market, the company may enter a phase of corporate value re-evaluation."

VivaZon, the developer of Onapraju and an affiliated new drug development company of VivaZon Pharmaceutical, has received Fast Track designation from the US FDA. The company is also pursuing technology licensing-out (L/O) and finished product export strategies targeting major markets including the US, Europe, and Japan.

VivaZon Pharmaceutical is preparing to expand its pipeline to target various indications such as pain, addiction, and degenerative brain diseases, based on its proprietary multi-target compound discovery platform technology. Key follow-up candidates include the oral analgesic VVZ-2471 and the Parkinson's disease treatment VVZ-3416, both of which are in Phase 2 clinical trials or preparing to enter clinical stages.

Research fellow Park stated, "Globally, there remains unmet demand for non-narcotic analgesics, and regulations on misuse are being strengthened." She analyzed, "Depending on the successful market penetration of Onapraju, there is a high possibility of re-evaluating the strategic and corporate value of VivaZon Pharmaceutical."

She further predicted, "If Onapraju's sales expansion accelerates next year, profitability improvement will also be possible," and added, "As VivaZon Pharmaceutical is the first domestic company to successfully commercialize a non-narcotic analgesic, there are many additional growth opportunities through global technology licensing and strategic partnerships."

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