[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Appclon is soaring. The stock price appears to have been influenced by the announcement of successfully obtaining a U.S. patent for the next-generation autoimmune disease bispecific antibody new drug AM201. 'AM201' is a new bispecific antibody derived from Appclon's bispecific antibody platform AffiMab.
As of 10:17 AM on the 19th, Appclon's stock was trading at 34,900 KRW, up 17.11% (5,100 KRW) compared to the previous trading day.
A company official explained, "We have already completed patent registrations for this new drug technology not only in Korea but also in the European Union (EU) and Japan," adding, "The U.S. patent further proves the novelty and advancement of AM201 and the AffiMab platform."
AM201 is a novel next-generation antibody therapeutic that simultaneously neutralizes the major inflammatory substances 'IL-6' and 'TNF-α,' which cause various autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. It may also be widely applicable to diseases accompanied by a 'cytokine storm' caused by cytokine overexpression.
'IL-6' and 'TNF-α' are known as the two most important cytokines causing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) observed in the lungs of severe COVID-19 patients and triggering the 'cytokine storm.'
IL-6 signaling antibody therapeutics are being developed to overcome the limitations of targeting TNF-α alone. The rheumatoid arthritis treatment market is expanding around representative products such as Roche's Actemra® and Sanofi Regeneron's Kevzara®. Notably, these products have been validated for their potential as COVID-19 treatments and are currently undergoing or planning clinical trials in the U.S. The market size for these products is expected to grow further. The Chinese National Health Commission (NHC) has also recommended Actemra for treating COVID-19 patients with severe lung damage.
Jongseo Lee, CEO of Appclon, said, "Obtaining patents for AM201 in key countries such as Korea, Europe, Japan, and the U.S. is an achievement that proves the technological capability of our bispecific antibody new drug development platform and raises expectations for future value." He added, "Securing property rights for AM201 in the U.S. is expected to greatly support licensing-out negotiations with global pharmaceutical companies based in the U.S. or those seeking licensing rights in the U.S. region."
An Appclon official explained, "The COVID antibody therapeutic TF team is fully committed to developing a new antibody aimed at neutralizing the virus's infectivity directly," adding, "For severe patients who have already suffered serious lung damage due to viral infection, AM201 can be developed as a therapeutic to inhibit the 'cytokine storm.'"
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