Hyundai Bio: "Zefty Can Simultaneously Treat COVID-19, M-Fox, and Dengue Fever"

Hyundai Bioscience (CEO Oh Sang-gi) announced on the 7th (Korean time) in Philadelphia, USA, at the "Disease Prevention and Control Summit 2024," attended by global disease prevention and control experts from WHO, FDA, NIAID, and others, that it presented the "Development Status and Achievements of the Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Jepti."

Hyundai Bioscience Vice President Woo Heung-jung stated in his keynote presentation, "Currently, there are no adequate treatments for viral diseases causing public health crises worldwide, such as COVID-19, dengue fever, Mpox (monkeypox), AIDS, and influenza A (H1N1). We believe that Jepti, an antiviral drug currently undergoing Phase 3 clinical trials for COVID-19, can treat all these viral diseases."

Vice President Woo said, "The paradigm of antiviral drug development has been 'one drug-one target.' The results of this outdated paradigm are disastrous. We have failed to develop appropriate treatments for current viral diseases like Mpox, dengue fever, and COVID-19, let alone prepare for future pandemics. It is nonsense to claim preparedness for future pandemics while being unable to respond to current viral diseases. Only broad-spectrum antivirals (One drug-multiple targets) that treat multiple viral infections can address both currently untreatable viral diseases and future viral pandemics such as avian influenza. Currently, Jepti is the only broad-spectrum antiviral."

Hyundai Bioscience focused on niclosamide, which showed antiviral efficacy against 33 virus species across 16 families, including COVID-19, MERS, AIDS, Mpox, dengue fever, and Ebola, in cell experiments but has limitations such as poor absorption in the body and short maintenance of effective blood drug concentration. Using patented drug delivery technology, they overcame these two challenges of niclosamide and redeveloped it into the oral antiviral drug "Jepti," with niclosamide as the main ingredient.

Through clinical trials, animal experiments, and cell experiments, Hyundai Bioscience confirmed that "Jepti, containing niclosamide as the main ingredient, is effective against viral infections in animals and humans for viruses proven effective in cell experiments." Hyundai Bioscience conducted clinical trials of Jepti for COVID-19, demonstrating its safety and efficacy. This clinical trial result was the first to reveal that "if niclosamide shows efficacy in cell experiments, it can also treat the corresponding viral disease in humans." Hyundai Bioscience is currently conducting a Phase 3 clinical trial of COVID-19 targeting high-risk patients.

Hyundai Bioscience also conducted animal experiments comparing the efficacy of Tamiflu and Jepti against H1N1, a subtype of influenza A expected to cause future pandemics. The results confirmed that Jepti's effect in reducing influenza virus levels was significantly greater than that of Tamiflu. This experiment was the first to reveal that "Jepti, confirmed effective against COVID-19, also works against respiratory viruses from different families in vivo."

After the keynote presentation, Hyundai Bioscience Vice President Woo Heung-jung stated at the subsequent roundtable discussion, "Jepti is currently in Phase 3 clinical trials for COVID-19 targeting high-risk groups and has been confirmed effective against Mpox and dengue fever, which currently have no treatments despite being public health crises. Therefore, Jepti is the only antiviral drug that can immediately treat Mpox and dengue fever. Accordingly, Hyundai Bioscience is closely consulting with countries facing public health crises due to dengue fever and Mpox on ways to rapidly supply Jepti to patients with these diseases."

A U.S. health authority official involved in pandemic preparedness strategy expressed surprise, saying, "We are currently seeking antiviral drugs to resolve the crisis caused by viral diseases. This discussion confirmed that the development of broad-spectrum antivirals is indeed possible. The emergence of broad-spectrum antivirals is a huge event that will bring a paradigm shift in the treatment of existing viral diseases."

Meanwhile, a WHO official showed deep interest in Hyundai Bioscience's ongoing efforts to rapidly supply Jepti to dengue fever and Mpox patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Vietnam in cooperation with local health authorities, stating, "We will actively support this by dispatching experts through WHO regional offices in the respective areas."