Daewoong Pharmaceutical Receives Approval for Phase 3 Clinical Trial of 'Hoistar Tablets' for COVID-19 Prevention

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Daewoong Pharmaceutical (CEO Jeon Seung-ho) announced on the 25th that it received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for a Phase 3 clinical trial of Hoistar Tablets (active ingredient: Camostat Mesylate) for the prevention of COVID-19.

This clinical trial is a Phase 3 study to verify the preventive effect of Hoistar Tablets against COVID-19 infection in self-quarantined individuals exposed to the coronavirus. The trial will be conducted with a total of 1,012 participants using a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind method at Samsung Seoul Hospital, Asan Medical Center, and others, with dosing scheduled to begin in February.

Hoistar Tablets are drugs that inhibit viral replication and improve inflammation by blocking the entry of viruses into cells inside the human body, and have been prescribed to patients in Korea for over 10 years.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical stated, "Hoistar Tablets are convenient to take orally and are expected to be most effective in the early stages when the virus begins replication due to their mechanism of action. Since they are predicted to be effective against virus variants as well, we expect to provide an optimal treatment option to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection."