Daewoong Pharmaceutical Receives Approval for Phase 2 Clinical Trial Plan of Skin Side Effect Treatment for Anticancer Drugs

Daewoong Pharmaceutical Headquarters Building Exterior (Photo by Daewoong Pharmaceutical)

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Daewoong Pharmaceutical's EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor) cream, 'DWP708', for treating side effects of anticancer drugs has received approval for a Phase 2 clinical trial plan (IND) in South Korea.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 20th that it received IND approval for the Phase 2 clinical trial of DWP708 from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 17th to expand new indications for EGF, the first domestic biotechnology new drug.

This clinical trial is being conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of treating skin side effects such as skin rash and acneiform rash commonly occurring in patients administered EGFRi (EGFR inhibitors) anticancer drugs targeting EGFR (EGF receptor). The EGF cream is also expected to be effective for dermatitis caused by radiation therapy and other conditions.

EGF is a protein present in the human body that plays an important role in healing damaged tissues by promoting cell proliferation and differentiation. Daewoong Pharmaceutical began developing EGF pharmaceuticals in 1992, launched the topical solution 'Easyef' for diabetic foot ulcers in 2001, and released the adjunctive treatment ointment 'Easyef Saesal' for skin wounds and ulcers in 2010.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to actively expand indications beyond skin wound and ulcer treatment for products containing EGF as the main ingredient through this clinical trial. The global market size for EGFRi anticancer drugs prescribed to patients with lung, colon, and pancreatic cancers was approximately 7 trillion KRW as of 2020 and is expected to grow continuously at an annual rate of over 10%. Since the EGF cream is being developed to treat skin side effects of these drugs, the potential market size is expected to be very large in the future.

Jaehak Ryu, Head of Bio Research and Development (R&D) at Daewoong Pharmaceutical, said, “We are continuously conducting research on EGF through active open collaboration and plan to broaden its application by developing new indications and new formulations. We hope this clinical trial will play an important role in improving the quality of life for cancer patients.”