Tium Bio's Confidence: "Targeting Europe First with Marigolic"

Full-Scale Technology Export After May European Clinical Trials
CEO Kim Hoon-taek "Global Pharmaceutical Companies Interested"
Immuno-Oncology New Drug Also Under Clinical Trials

"In May, the results of the Phase 2a clinical trial of 'Merigolicx' for endometriosis will be released in Europe. Global pharmaceutical companies showed interest at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference (JPMHC), and once the clinical results are out, we plan to pursue technology export."

Kim Hoon-taek, CEO of Tium Bio, is being interviewed by Asia Economy in San Francisco, USA, where the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference (JPMHC) was held.
[Photo by Lee Chun-hee]

On the 11th (local time), at the JPMHC, the world's largest pharmaceutical and biotech investment conference held in San Francisco, USA, Kim Hoon-taek, CEO of Tium Bio, expressed strong confidence in the company's pipeline, including Merigolicx. CEO Kim has been in charge of new drug development at SK Chemicals for 27 years, developing Korea's first domestic new drugs, the anticancer drug 'Sunpla' and the hemophilia treatment 'Abstila.' He founded Tium Bio in 2016.

The new drug currently being developed by Tium Bio is Merigolicx, a treatment for endometriosis. It acts on the receptor of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which secretes gonadotropins, thereby suppressing estradiol, a female hormone that worsens endometriosis, resulting in therapeutic effects. Currently, a Phase 2a clinical trial is underway in Europe for patients with endometriosis.

The market size for endometriosis treatments in the seven major G7 countries is expected to reach $2.7 billion (approximately 3.6 trillion KRW) by 2030. Although new GnRH-based drugs have emerged to overcome the problems of existing male hormone-based drugs that induce temporary menopause, these also have issues such as causing osteoporosis and low response rates. Tium Bio is seeking the optimal dosage of Merigolicx, which can increase response rates while reducing bone loss compared to existing GnRH-based drugs. CEO Kim explained, "We plan to target the European market first, where competition for GnRH-based endometriosis treatments is relatively less, through technology export."

The next new drug under development by Tium Bio is the immuno-oncology drug 'TU2218.' It is currently in Phase 1b clinical trials, aiming for synergy in combination with MSD's immune checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda. Although Keytruda has indications for 16 types of cancers including non-small cell lung cancer, its response rate is below 20% except for some cases. TU2218 inhibits transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-R, which appear in patients with low response rates, enhancing the effect of Keytruda. CEO Kim described, "If Keytruda is an axe for cutting trees, TU2218 is the drug that dries the wood to make the axe cut better." Additionally, the hemophilia treatment 'TU7710' is planned to complete Phase 1a clinical trials in the first half of this year.

Tium Bio logo [Photo by Tium Bio]

Meanwhile, Tium Bio's subsidiary, Protium Science, plans to go public within 2 to 3 years and expand its business from contract development and analytical organization (CDAO) to contract manufacturing organization (CMO) using the listing funds. CEO Kim said, "We are considering acquiring overseas companies or factories to add production capabilities to Protium Science."

CEO Kim's long-term goal is to achieve annual sales of 70 billion KRW for Tium Bio by 2028. He stated, "Considering the commercialization of at least one of Merigolicx, TU2218, or TU7710, along with additional revenue from technology exports, this is an achievable goal."