Joint Research On Alternative Medicine To Therapeutic Antibodies With Scotch Haptogen

Infectious Disease Therapy Using Human Antibody Solves Antibiotic Resistance 

On 29th, Daewoong Pharmaceutical concluded joint research agreement with Haptogen, a Scotch venture firm specializing in antibody, for the purpose of developing alternative therapy to antibiotics using human antibody for the first time in Korea. Through this joint research, therapy for infectious diseases(pneumoniae and S.aureus) will be developed with human antibody. Currently, the world market amounts to annual USD 9 billion (KRW 9 trillion).

Specially, the Korean government and Daewoong Pharmaceutical will invest each KRW 9 billion(18 billion in total) of research fund in this foreign joint research for 9 years as part of international collaboration business as supported by the Ministry of Health & Welfare and Korea Health Industry Development Institute. In this research, Daewoong is in charge of business development including animal cell culture, purification and analysis to produce therapeutic protein, while Haptogen provides source-technology which is necessary for developing therapeutic antibody. Both companies plan to derive potential antibiotic substance being capable of shooting out antibiotic resistance in 3 years and then perform pre-clinical and clinical trials for subsequent 6 years.

For joint research, Daewoong Pharmaceutical will dispatch its research manpower to Scotland to be transferred the basic technology and know-how for antibody development as a stepping stone to develop global therapeutic antibody. Also, Daewoong will additionally develop therapeutic antibody having international competitive advantage through continuous joint research with suppliers holding the target to faster make inroads into advanced market like Europe, the US etc.

“This joint research agreement enabled independent antibody to develop by securing the right of internally developed technology for the first time in Korea, and “From this joint research, it is expected that foreign joint research will be activated coupling with an advance into the UK and Europe market,” said Lee Bong Yong, Director of the Research Division of Daewoong Pharmaceutical.

On the other hand, Daewoong Pharmaceutical expects KRW 50 billion at least through technology export by developing this alternative medicine to antibiotics using human antibody. Since established in 2002, Haptogen holds the patent being specialized in antibody development and Haptomix technology.