WSI: EZMediBot's "U-BOT" US Patent Registration Confirmed

WSI announced on January 13 that its subsidiary, EZMediBot, has completed registration of a US patent for its "fully automated gynecological endoscopic uterine elevator using a catheter control robot" (hereafter referred to as U-BOT).

According to the company, it has received a notice of registration decision from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the U-BOT patent, and final registration is scheduled for January 13, local time. The uterine elevator is a medical device that stably fixes and adjusts the position of the uterus during laparoscopic surgery.

EZMediBot plans to launch the U-BOT, an assistive robot for gynecological laparoscopic surgery and injection, this year. It will sequentially introduce the B-BOT and E-BOT for brain surgery, and the C-BOT for cardiovascular procedures.

Another WSI subsidiary, IntroBioPharma, is developing core technology for an oral obesity treatment based on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). By utilizing its proprietary EmulPass technology, the company has improved the gastrointestinal absorption rate of high-molecular-weight peptides. It possesses an oral formulation technology with a differentiated mechanism from existing absorption enhancer-based technologies, making it possible to avoid existing patents.

Recently, with the launch of oral Wegovy and the impact of events such as the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, investor interest in next-generation obesity and metabolic disease treatments has been increasing. In this market trend, the rapidly developing EmulPass technology is said by the company to have very high business value.

Based on this technological competitiveness, the company plans to accelerate Phase 1 clinical trials and begin developing a generic (copy drug) version of Novo Nordisk's oral obesity and diabetes treatment. IntroBioPharma has established the necessary blood analysis methods for obesity drug development through its contract research organization (CRO) subsidiary, IVP Lab, and animal testing is currently in its final stages.

According to global pharmaceutical research firm Evaluate, the GLP-1 drug market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of over 20% through 2030.

A representative from IntroBioPharma stated, "We will achieve business results in the oral obesity treatment market by simultaneously pursuing a patent avoidance strategy and accelerating clinical trials based on EmulPass technology," and added, "Through collaboration with our subsidiary IVP Lab, we will structurally enhance corporate value."

Meanwhile, WSI holds a 77% stake in IntroBioPharma. The company is accelerating the expansion of its global healthcare business by making next-generation obesity and metabolic disease treatment development a new growth axis.