The Heart of Denmark's Pharmaceutical and Bio Industry, Medicon Valley③
Thomas Seager, CEO of Contera Pharma
Parkinson's Disease Dyskinesia Treatment 'JM-010'
Clinical Trials to Complete This Year... Results Expected by Mid-Next Year
RNA Drug Development Platform 'Nova' as New Driving Force
Thomas Seager, CEO of Conterapharma. The photo was taken with a background featuring a combined image of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Seoul, displayed inside the company building. [Photo by Lee Chunhee]
"We expect the top-line data from the Phase 2b clinical trial of 'JM-010' to be available around June to July next year. Based on this, we plan to seek new partners and promote technology export. At the same time, through the rare neurological disorder drug development platform 'NOVA,' we aim to actively target unmet needs by discovering candidate substances that can rapidly improve patients' quality of life within two years."
Thomas Seager, CEO of Contera Pharma, presented the acceleration of JM-010's development and the creation of new pipelines through NOVA as Contera Pharma's main focus in an interview with Asia Economy on the 29th. Contera Pharma is a Danish CNS (central nervous system) therapeutic development biotech venture acquired by Bukwang Pharmaceutical in 2014. CEO Seager joined Contera Pharma at the end of 2020 and has been leading the company since. He previously served as Executive Vice President of Business Development and Licensing at Lundbeck, a globally recognized CNS therapeutic development company based in Denmark.
JM-010, a treatment candidate for Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia (LID), is Contera Pharma's core pipeline and is expected to be the first commercialized therapeutic. The global Phase 2b clinical trial is currently underway. CEO Seager stated, "Unfortunately, patient enrollment was disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are working hard to catch up, and although it may be somewhat challenging, we expect to complete patient enrollment within this year and receive top-line data around June to July next year."
Levodopa, a treatment for Parkinson's disease, is highly effective for Parkinson's but causes LID as a side effect with long-term use. Currently, there is no approved treatment for LID in Europe. CEO Seager explained, "There is a significant unmet need for LID treatment. If positive data for JM-010 is secured, it is expected to become the first-in-class drug in Europe." However, he repeatedly emphasized that it must also become the best-in-class drug in the category. CEO Seager said, "Providing the best treatment to patients is crucial, as is the pricing aspect. Especially in Europe, where there is a strong correlation between drug efficacy and price, proving clear superiority is important, and we are focusing our efforts on this."
Contera Pharma is focusing on the NOVA platform, established last October, as the next growth engine beyond the 'DRUG' platform used for developing JM-010 and 'CP-012,' a treatment for morning akinesia currently undergoing Investigational New Drug (IND) approval. As a next-generation RNA-based drug development platform, CEO Seager explained, "It is a technology that uses AI algorithms to identify RNA sequences critical for gene expression and rapidly select target genes. This enables candidate discovery within about two years, which is expected to significantly reduce time and costs." Currently, antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) candidates for hereditary leukodystrophy treatment, such as 'CP-101,' 'CP-102,' and 'CP-105,' are being developed through this platform.
Last year, the company also established a new base to accelerate research and development (R&D). CEO Seager recalled, "One of the first projects I pursued when I joined Contera Pharma was relocating the office. At the time of my appointment, there was only office space without any research facilities." Initially, in 2021, the office was moved to DTU Science Park. Later, they secured space for laboratory facilities and relocated to the current building last October. CEO Seager said, "Being able to design and operate the laboratory ourselves allows us to directly control the development process and accelerate innovation. DTU Science Park hosts not only pharmaceutical, biotech, and life science companies but also various startups, which helps speed up company growth through networking." As an example, he explained that instead of creating an internal department for data security issues, collaborating with an IT company in the adjacent building helps reduce costs.
Researchers at Contera Pharma Institute are conducting new drug development research. Photo by Lee Chunhee
He explained that continuous synergy is expected with the parent company, Bukwang Pharmaceutical. CEO Seager said, "Bukwang Pharmaceutical is not just a parent company but a collaborative partner, jointly conducting clinical trials for JM-010. For a small company like Contera Pharma, having a large partner to discuss the entire new drug development process is very positive." Regarding Korea's pharmaceutical and biotech industry, he said, "I am very impressed, especially with SK Biopharm's 'cenobamate,' which I believe has made a groundbreaking contribution to the epilepsy field." He added that, along with the know-how of traditional pharmaceutical companies such as Bukwang Pharmaceutical, Daewoong Pharmaceutical, and Dong-A Pharmaceutical, the emergence of companies with new technologies like ABL Bio and Voronoi presents great positive potential.
Regarding the attempt to list on KOSDAQ in 2021, which was aborted, he said, "Contera Pharma was a good company then, but it has become a more mature company since. We are continuing preparations to resume the listing process." He added, "We consider Contera Pharma a part of Korea's pharmaceutical and biotech industry and, given our close relationships with Bukwang Pharmaceutical and OCI, KOSDAQ listing remains the top priority. However, if circumstances change, we may also consider listing on NASDAQ."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
