[비즈한국] Daewon Pharmaceutical003220 has halted the development of a venous edema and lymphedema treatment it had been working on for eight years, drawing attention to the reasons behind the decision. Daewon Pharmaceutical terminated the 'DW-1704' project, which had been anticipated as a next-generation therapeutic, in the first quarter of this year. Industry experts view the decision to stop at the completion of Phase 2 clinical trials as a signal of a shift in future drug development strategies and a reorganization of its pipeline.
According to the Financial Supervisory Service's Data Analysis, Retrieval and Transfer System (DART) on the 13th, Daewon Pharmaceutical announced that it discontinued the development of DW-1704 in the first quarter of this year. Since 2017, Daewon Pharmaceutical had been developing DW-1704 as an improved new drug for Hanlim Pharm's 'Antheron Tablet (ingredient: Vitis vinifera seed extract).' Antheron Tablet is indicated for improving symptoms of venous and lymphatic insufficiency, as an adjunctive therapy for lymphedema caused by breast cancer treatment, and as an adjunct for non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, with estimated annual sales of approximately 50 billion KRW.
Daewon Pharmaceutical received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in June 2021 for Phase 2/3 clinical trial plans for the venous and lymphedema treatment and had completed Phase 2 trials in the third quarter of last year. Regarding the reason for the development halt, Daewon Pharmaceutical stated, "It is confidential, so we cannot provide details."
Although Daewon Pharmaceutical has stopped the development of DW-1704, it holds about 40 other candidate substances for new, improved, and combination drugs. The fastest-moving project is the gastroesophageal reflux disease drug 'DW-4421', which is being co-developed with Yunovia, a drug research and development subsidiary of Ildong Pharmaceutical260660. The company is awaiting MFDS approval for Phase 3 clinical trials and is targeting a domestic launch in 2028.
In addition, the uterine fibroid and endometriosis treatment 'DW-4902', which has completed Phase 2 clinical trials, and the oral obesity treatment 'DW-4222', which has completed Phase 2a trials, are also among the new drug candidates that Daewon Pharmaceutical is focusing on.
Among the improved and combination drug candidates, the patch-type obesity treatment 'DW-1022' stands out. It has completed Phase 1 clinical trials and is being developed using Novo Nordisk's 'Wegovy' as a comparator drug. Like Wegovy, it is a GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist and is being co-developed with Raphas214260, a company specializing in microneedle development.