[Featured Stock] Medipron Rises on News of Positive Clinical Results for Alzheimer's Treatment from US Eli Lilly

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Medipron is showing strong performance. It appears to be influenced by news that the Alzheimer's treatment 'donanemab' being developed by the US company Eli Lilly has shown high efficacy in clinical trials.

As of 2:51 PM on the 15th, Medipron was trading at 3,450 KRW, up 5.18% (170 KRW) compared to the previous trading day.

Foreign media reported on the 13th (local time) that the Alzheimer's treatment by US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly demonstrated confirmed efficacy in clinical trials. Eli Lilly's Alzheimer's treatment 'donanemab' is an antibody therapy targeting beta-amyloid, which is suspected to be a major factor worsening Alzheimer's.

Biogen's 'Aducanumab', also an antibody therapy and expected to be the first FDA-approved dementia treatment, is similarly notable.

With Biogen's Aducanumab and Eli Lilly's donanemab showing meaningful effects in the latest clinical trials, the hypothesis regarding the mechanism of Alzheimer's onset due to beta-amyloid accumulation is receiving renewed attention.

Medipron's 'MDR-1339' inhibits the aggregation of beta-amyloid, the causative protein of Alzheimer's dementia, and fundamentally blocks toxins that kill brain cells. It prevents and treats dementia by dissolving hardened beta-amyloid in the brain and expelling it outside the brain, following a beta-amyloid mechanism.

Biogen's Aducanumab and Eli Lilly's donanemab are being developed as treatments administered via intravenous injection. In contrast, Medipron's drug candidate is a small molecule compound developed as an oral treatment to prevent beta-amyloid accumulation. It has significant differentiators such as cost competitiveness in material production, ease of storage, reliable shelf-life management, and convenience of oral administration.

A company representative stated, “Currently, Medipron's 'MDR-1339' has patents registered in the US, the UK, four European countries, and Japan. Based on a healthy cash reserve, we plan to aggressively invest in R&D, including securing excellent talent and expanding our pipeline.”