JW Jungwoo Hair Loss New Drug Obtains Russian Patent..."Clinical Trials to Begin Next Year"

JW Pharmaceutical announced on the 27th that it has obtained a patent from the Russian Patent Office for its Wnt-targeted hair loss treatment ‘JW0061’.

JW Pharmaceutical Headquarters Exterior [Photo by JW Pharmaceutical]

This patent relates to a new drug candidate for hair loss treatment based on the Wnt signaling pathway and aims to protect ‘novel heterocyclic derivatives of JW0061, their salts or isomers, and compositions containing them as active ingredients.’ This is the first time a substance patent for JW0061 has been registered. JW Pharmaceutical has filed patents in more than 10 countries overseas, including Korea, the United States, Europe, Japan, and China.

JW0061 is a new drug candidate that activates the Wnt signaling pathway in the skin and hair follicle stem cells, promoting hair follicle proliferation and hair regeneration. It is expected to be effective for hair loss symptoms such as androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata, as well as having excellent preventive effects.

The Wnt signaling pathway exists across all species, from nematodes and fruit flies to mammals, playing an essential role in cell proliferation and differentiation, organ development, and morphogenesis. In particular, it plays a crucial role in skin development and hair follicle formation during embryonic development. It is necessary for skin stem cells to transform into hair follicle stem cells and differentiate into hair follicles, and it is involved in the proliferation of dermal papilla cells located at the root of hair follicles, which regulate hair growth and maintenance. Inhibiting the Wnt pathway suppresses the formation, proliferation, and metastasis of cancer cells in various tissues, whereas activating the pathway promotes tissue regeneration by stimulating stem cells and inducing cell proliferation. Although the Wnt pathway affects many human diseases, there are currently no new drugs targeting this pathway.

JW Pharmaceutical participated in the ‘Wnt 2022’ conference held in Japan last November and publicly disclosed the preclinical results of JW0061 for the first time. It newly confirmed the mechanism of action where JW0061 directly binds to the GFRA1 protein in dermal papilla cells, activating the Wnt signaling pathway. This is described as the first reported case of a small molecule drug elucidating the mechanism of hair growth.

Additionally, animal experiment results were disclosed confirming JW0061’s superior hair growth and hair follicle neogenesis effects compared to the placebo group. Hair growth cycles through three stages?anagen, catagen, and telogen?in a periodic manner, with the anagen phase typically lasting over 50 days on average. Application of JW0061 advanced the entry into the anagen phase by more than 30% (15 days).

JW Pharmaceutical is currently conducting GLP non-clinical toxicity evaluations aiming to start clinical trials of JW0061 in the first half of 2024. Joint research is also underway with key medical professionals in the field of dermatology in the United States.

A JW Pharmaceutical official stated, “The registration of the Russian patent is significant as it recognizes JW0061’s core technology in overseas markets,” and added, “We will develop JW0061 as a new innovative drug that complements or replaces existing hair loss treatments.”