Daewoong Pharmaceutical (069620.KS) is partnering with biotech startup Thionlab Therapeutics to develop a long-acting obesity treatment administered once a month. Following oral formulations and microneedle patches, the company is accelerating the expansion of its obesity treatment portfolio by securing long-acting injectable formulations.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced Wednesday that it has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Thionlab Therapeutics for the global development and commercialization of a semaglutide-based, once-monthly long-acting injection.
The two companies plan to develop the long-acting formulation by combining Thionlab's long-acting drug delivery platform "QJect Sphere" with Daewoong's microparticle manufacturing platform "Cure."
QJect Sphere is a technology that suppresses the initial release of drugs, while Cure is a process technology that manufactures microspheres of uniform size to enable stable drug release. By combining the two platforms, the companies aim to develop a long-acting formulation that reduces the initial burst release while maintaining stable efficacy over an extended period.
Once development is completed, the annual dosing frequency is expected to be reduced from 52 times to about 12 times compared to the existing once-weekly injection. Because obesity treatment requires long-term medication, improved medication adherence is considered a key factor in market competitiveness.
The two companies filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application in Korea in April and are targeting first patient dosing within this year. Daewoong Pharmaceutical will be responsible for clinical development and global commercialization, while Thionlab will focus on advancing the platform technology.
The partnership also draws attention as an example of open innovation between a domestic pharmaceutical company and a biotech startup. Under this structure, the biotech venture secures global clinical trial and regulatory capabilities, while the large pharmaceutical company gains access to new platforms and pipelines.
With this agreement, Daewoong Pharmaceutical has further expanded its obesity treatment portfolio. The company is also developing an existing oral obesity treatment and a microneedle-based platform. The industry expects that future competition in the obesity treatment market is likely to be reshaped around dosing convenience and formulation innovation, not just efficacy.
The global obesity treatment market is projected to grow at an average annual rate of more than 30%, reaching up to $200 billion by 2030. In particular, once-monthly long-acting formulations have few commercialized cases so far, and competition to gain an early lead is expected to intensify.
"Through this agreement, we have built an industry-leading portfolio in the obesity treatment space," Daewoong Pharmaceutical CEO Park Sung-soo said. "We will provide more convenient and effective treatment options to the global market."
