MedicoX Affiliate MeCoxCureMed Submits IND Application for Oral COVID-19 Treatment

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Medycox, a KOSDAQ-listed company, announced on the 5th that Mecox Curemed, a new drug development specialist company in which it holds a majority stake, has applied to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for an IND (Investigational New Drug application) for domestic clinical trials of its orally administered COVID-19 treatment candidate, 'Mecvias.'

The COVID-19 treatment candidate 'Mecvias' is the same substance as 'Bozanics,' an arthritis treatment currently being developed by Mecox Curemed, which is preparing for Phase 2 clinical trials. 'Bozanics' previously received simultaneous approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for Phase 1 and 2 clinical trial plans and has completed Phase 1, securing safety data.

In preclinical experiments conducted in Europe last year, 'Mecvias' demonstrated meaningful therapeutic and preventive effect data across five groups, including a pre-infection prophylactic dosing group and post-infection high, medium, and low dosage groups.

The company explained that since the substance is identical to Bozanics, which has already successfully completed Phase 1 clinical trials domestically, the risk of toxicity and side effects during clinical progression is low. Above all, it emphasized high clinical expectations as the anti-inflammatory effects on major organs known to be targets of severe COVID-19 infection, such as the lungs and kidneys, have been verified.

Since last year, Mecox Curemed has been collaborating with Catholic University, national research institutes, European new drug development specialist company Tube Pharmaceuticals GmbH, and the Virus Research Institute of the University of Padua in Italy for the development of 'Mecvias.'

The company stated that various preclinical data secured during this process showed significant results in antiviral efficacy, clinical dose response, and histological evaluation. Another advantage of 'Mecvias' is that it is developed as an oral medication rather than an injectable form, enhancing patient convenience.

A company representative said, “The cytokine storm, an excessive immune response in the human body caused by the overexpression of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) during viral infections such as COVID-19, is identified as a cause of patient mortality. Mecox Curemed’s self-developed Mecvias contains antiviral and anti-inflammatory substances that reduce cytokine expression.”