Donga ST Highlights Therapeutic Strategies and Clinical Value for Metabolic Diseases at Korean Diabetes Association Conference

by Jeong Donghoon

Published 06 May.2026 10:38(KST)

Donga ST announced on May 6 that it held a luncheon symposium and a "Special Scientific Session" at the 39th Spring Conference of the Korean Diabetes Association, which took place at the Kimdaejung Convention Center in Gwangju from April 30 to May 2. The sessions focused on the therapeutic strategies and clinical value of the DPP-4 inhibitor "Suganon" and the SGLT-2 inhibitor "Dafapro" for metabolic diseases.

At the luncheon symposium held on May 2, Professor Kyungsoo Kim of CHA University gave a lecture titled "The standard of Korean diabetes care: Why K-evidence matters."

Front view of the Donga ST building in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. Donga ST

The lecture covered updates to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines, trends in the market for DPP-4 inhibitors as a first-line therapy, evidence supporting the prescription of DPP-4 and SGLT-2 inhibitors, and the benefits of their combination use.

In particular, the clinical rationale and distinctive evidence for prescribing evogliptin (Suganon) in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes were presented.

On the same day, the Special Scientific Session was held under the theme "The evolution of metabolic management," with lectures delivered by Professor Junghwan Park of Hanyang University College of Medicine, Professor Bookyung Kim of Kosin University College of Medicine, and Team Leader Yoona Chae from the Exploratory Biology 2 Team of the New Drug Discovery Division at Donga ST.

Professor Junghwan Park highlighted real-world clinical evidence for evogliptin and dapagliflozin based on accumulated K-evidence in Korean patients, and introduced expanded treatment options and patient benefits.

In the second lecture, Professor Bookyung Kim introduced strategies to improve stability, quality, and medication convenience through prodrug design developed to overcome the physicochemical limitations of original drugs, Korea's only original head-to-head clinical trial, and patient-centered value and clinical positioning.

In the final lecture, Team Leader Yoona Chae of Donga ST presented the clinical development strategies for Vanoglipel, a treatment for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASH), and DA-1726, an obesity treatment, as well as the potential for expanding Donga ST’s metabolic disease portfolio.

During the event, Donga ST operated a photo booth at the presentation venue to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Suganon’s launch. Medical professionals and event participants took part in the photo booth to celebrate the milestone together.

A Donga ST representative stated, "Through this academic conference, we shared the clinical significance and patient-centered values of Suganon and Dafapro. Going forward, we plan to expand our treatment areas beyond diabetes to cover the full spectrum of metabolic diseases, such as obesity and fatty liver, and to strengthen our competitiveness based on a differentiated portfolio."