[Featured Stock] BridgeBio Rises as US Competitor Halts Clinical Trials

As of 9:30 AM on the 21st, Bridge Biotherapeutics' stock price recorded 4,785 KRW, up 8.01% compared to the previous closing price. This appears to be due to the clinical trial discontinuation of one competitor and the upcoming clinical data announcement scheduled for April.

Earlier, on the 7th (local time), Flynt Therapeutics, a Nasdaq-listed company in the United States, announced the voluntary discontinuation of the Phase 2b/3 clinical trial for its idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) treatment candidate PLN-74809. It is presumed that the drug either failed to meet the expected efficacy or caused toxic side effects.

IPF is a difficult-to-treat disease in which collagen abnormally accumulates, causing the lungs to harden. The two currently available treatments only slightly slow the progression of fibrosis and have severe side effects. The market is large, expected to reach 10 trillion KRW annually by 2030.

Boehringer Ingelheim, known to generate annual sales of 5 trillion KRW with the existing treatment 'Ofev,' is leading in the development of new drug candidates. Boehringer's BI-1015550 announced topline results of its Phase 3 clinical trial last September and has announced plans to apply for FDA approval.

Bridge Biotherapeutics plans to announce the topline results of the Phase 2 clinical trial for its IPF treatment candidate BBT-877 in April. Subsequently, it plans to proceed with Phase 3 clinical trials through technology transfer.