[Featured Stock] NatureCell Rises on Expectations for New Drug Approval for Degenerative Arthritis Treatment

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jihwan] Naturecell is showing strong performance following news that significant statistics were confirmed in the efficacy evaluation of the domestic Phase 3 clinical trial of 'Jointstem,' a treatment for severe knee osteoarthritis being developed by its affiliate Albio.

According to the Korea Exchange on the 15th, as of 9:12 AM, Naturecell's stock price was trading at 10,250 KRW, up 15.17% (1,350 KRW) compared to the previous trading day.

On this day, Naturecell announced that after analyzing the efficacy evaluation data from the clinical trial contract research organization (CRO) 'LSK Global PS,' both primary endpoints, WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) and VAS (Visual Analog Scale for pain), showed statistically significant improvement compared to placebo, confirming superiority.

Jointstem is a stem cell therapy used for patients with severe osteoarthritis of Kellgren-Lawrence grade 3 or higher. It received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) for domestic Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in May 2008, Phase 2b in 2014, and Phase 3 in January 2019. In the United States, it has completed Phase 2 clinical trials and recently received FDA approval for Phase 2b and 3a clinical trial plans.