Daewon Pharmaceutical-Lapas, Jointly Developed 'Transdermal Obesity Treatment' Phase 1 Clinical Trial Application

Microneedle Patch Obesity Treatment 'DW-1022'

Daewon Pharmaceutical announced on the 8th that it has completed the submission of the clinical phase 1 trial plan (IND) for 'DW-1022,' a microneedle patch obesity treatment drug jointly developed with Lapas.

Daewon Pharmaceutical Headquarters Building.
[Photo by Daewon Pharmaceutical]

The two companies have been conducting research to develop Novo Nordisk's 'Wegovy (active ingredient semaglutide)' injection into a microneedle patch form. Their joint development project was selected in 2020 as a core technology development project for the bio industry by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and last month they also completed the registration of a joint patent for the 'microneedle patch loaded with synthetic semaglutide.'

Daewon Pharmaceutical developed the active pharmaceutical ingredient equivalent to a new drug by converting recombinant semaglutide into a synthetic peptide and was responsible for the non-clinical research of the finished drug product. Lapas has been in charge of formulation development for the microneedle patch finished drug product. Based on the research conducted so far, Daewon Pharmaceutical will lead the phase 1 clinical trial.

Semaglutide is a drug developed in 2017 to increase insulin secretion in diabetic patients and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for diabetes. It was subsequently approved as an obesity treatment in 2021.

The existing self-injection drugs have drawbacks such as causing pain to patients, risk of secondary infection, and generation of medical waste. In contrast, DW-1022 is a patch form that only needs to be applied, eliminating the hassle of patients having to inject themselves. Daewon Pharmaceutical explained that it uses microneedles less than 1 mm in length, which provide excellent delivery efficiency into the body and cause fewer skin side effects.

A Daewon Pharmaceutical official said, "For chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity that require long-term management, medication convenience is an important factor," adding, "We expect this to be an innovative treatment that significantly enhances bioavailability and convenience compared to existing injectable drugs."