[BioUSA] Following K-Bio, 'K-DTx'... Hot Interest in Presentations by Korean Companies

Introduction to Domestic DTx Companies like Hi and S Alpha
"I Thought It Was Just a Bio and Synthetic Drug Event, but I Was Surprised by the High Interest"

Kim Jin-woo, CEO of Hi, is giving a corporate presentation at the Bio International Convention 2022 (BioUSA). / San Diego, USA Photo by Lee Chun-hee

[San Diego (USA) = Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The recently concluded 'Bio International Convention 2022 (BioUSA)' served as a stepping stone not only for K-Bio but also for K-Digital Therapeutics (DTx) to expand globally.

According to the industry on the 19th, Korean DTx development companies HAII and S-Alpha Therapeutics participated in the Company Presentation section of this BioUSA, introducing their companies and key pipelines.

In particular, right after the presentation on the afternoon of the first day of BioUSA on the 13th (local time), Kim Jin-woo, CEO of HAII, who met with Asia Economy, said, "I thought BioUSA was an event focused on bio and small molecule drugs, but there was more interest than expected," showing a surprising reaction to the strong interest in K-DTx.

At this meeting, CEO Kim mainly introduced HAII's mild cognitive impairment (MCI) screening DTx 'Alzguard.' Alzguard uses 'digital biomarkers' such as voice and eye movement to determine the presence of mild cognitive impairment. The MCI screening model prediction accuracy reaches 94.6%.

During the Q&A session following the presentation, questions focused on global expansion. Various inquiries poured in regarding clinical trials aimed at overseas expansion, the status of approval applications in the US and China, and whether clinical trials are being conducted on races other than Koreans.

CEO Kim emphasized, "We scheduled about 20 business meetings just at this BioUSA," adding, "Big pharma companies such as Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Merck, and Eli Lilly also showed great interest."

He continued, "In the US and other developed countries, there is great interest in central nervous system (CNS) diseases caused by aging," and said, "In the long term, we aim to cover not only MCI but also dementia diagnosis."

At this BioUSA, besides Alzguard, CEO Kim brought 'Rebone,' a DTx targeting sarcopenia, which mainly appears in menopausal women, to showcase to the world. Sarcopenia is an untapped market worldwide with no approved treatments in DTx, conventional small molecule drugs, or biologics.

Rebone aims to provide a solution that addresses sarcopenia from diagnosis to treatment in one. Its main mechanism is exercise therapy, providing personalized exercise prescriptions based on eight indicators such as current joint condition and exercise capacity. CEO Kim said, "We obtained good results in a phase 1 clinical trial conducted by researchers recently," and added, "We plan to conduct phase 2 in September and pivotal clinical trials next year."

San Diego (USA) = Reporter Lee Chun-hee spring@asiae.co.kr