pharm edaily

[Shin-Min Joon, Edaily Reporter] On May 26 the Korean pharmaceutical and biotech market saw sharp rallies in the share prices of Raphas, Daewhapharmand Cellumed. Raphas surged on news of progress in its microneedle based obesity patch. Daewhapharm gained after announcing that Phase 3 clinical trial results for its oral cancer drug Liporaxel were selected for presentation at a major global oncology congress. Cellumed’s rally was driven by expectations of improved earnings from strong sales of its dental bone graft products. ·

Raphas stock trend on May 26. (Image=MP Doctor)

Raphas Soars on Obesity Patch Clinical Results

According to MP DOCTOR (formerly MarketPoint) by KG Zeroin Raphas shares jumped 29.75% to close at won 21,150, hitting the upper trading limit early in the session. Raphas, in partnership with Daewon Pharmaceutical, is developing DW1022, a microneedle patch version of semaglutide, the active ingredient in blockbuster obesity drug Wegovy. This marks the world’s first attempt to develop an obesity treatment patch using microneedle technology.

Raphas completed a Phase 1 clinical trial of DW1022 at the end of last year. The results showed a bioavailability approximately 30% higher than that of subcutaneous injections. Considering that the oral semaglutide (Rybelsus by Novo Nordisk) has a bioavailability of less than 0.5% compared to subcutaneous injections, DW1022 achieves nearly 60 times greater absorption efficiency.

The Phase 1 study also confirmed the drug’s pharmacokinetics tolerability and safety after a single daily application. Raphas plans to conduct further trials to evaluate repeated dose weight loss efficacy and pharmacokinetics at higher concentrations. The company is also exploring a once weekly formulation that could maintain efficacy with weekly application. To date, no microneedle based prescription drug has been commercialized globally.

Beyond the obesity patch Raphas is developing other microneedle based products. The company recently launched Reti-RN, the world’s first patch combining retinol and polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) in a stable formulation. Retinol is known for its anti-aging effects, while PDRN, extracted from salmon DNA, promotes skin regeneration and elasticity. Raphas is also working on a hepatitis B vaccine patch using microneedle technology.

A Raphas spokesperson commented “Our microneedle based obesity patch development is progressing smoothly and we are committed to ensuring its timely development.”

DaewhapharmRises on Global Cancer Conference Presentation

Daewhapharmshares climbed 9.96% to won 15,020, buoyed by the news that its Liporaxel data will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, one of the world’s three largest oncology conferences, scheduled from May 30 to June 3 in Chicago.

Liporaxel is an oral formulation and improved version of Taxol (paclitaxel), a blockbuster intravenous anticancer drug developed by Bristol Myers Squibb that has been in use for over 30 years. Daewhapharmis expanding Liporaxel’s indications from gastric cancer to recurrent and metastatic breast cancer.

In results received earlier this year from a contract research organization (CRO), Liporaxel demonstrated non-inferior efficacy and safety compared to IV paclitaxel in a multinational Phase 2/3 trial involving 582 patients (33 in Phase 2 and 549 in Phase 3). The Phase 2 trial was conducted at 12 sites in Korea, and the Phase 3 trial at 51 sites across Korea, China, Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria.

For the primary endpoint of progression free survival (PFS) in the per-protocol set (PPS), Liporaxel achieved a median PFS of 10.02 months, compared to 8.54 months for the IV formulation. Secondary endpoints such as overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR) also showed trends of non inferiority.

In terms of safety, the incidence rates of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were comparable between the oral and injectable forms. Liporaxel is currently being marketed in China through local partner Haihe Biopharma and distributor 3S BIO. Daewhapharmalso plans to expand into the transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) market with products such as dermal fillers and dementia patches.

A company representative noted “News of our abstract selection at ASCO appears to have positively influenced our stock performance.”

Cellumed Advances on Strong Sales of Dental Bone Graft

Cellumed shares rose 10.33% to won 961, driven by strong sales of its Rafugen Dental graft, a high performance bone graft product used in dental implants to restore bone defects.

Cellumed recently doubled its production capacity through process improvements and expanded its global raw material supply chain to ensure a stable manufacturing system. This enables the company to respond quickly to growing demand.

The growth of the Korean dental implant market supports this trend. According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of dental implant patients rose from 719,309 in 2020 to 837,634 in 2023 a 16% increase reflecting the aging population and heightened awareness of oral health.

In 2024 Cellumed posted won 129.1 billion in revenue up 35% year on year and narrowed its operating loss to won 6.8 billion from won 10.5 billion. The company is actively strengthening its global raw material supply through partnerships with overseas firms to ensure stable production of its core bone regeneration and skin graft products.

A company official stated “Demand for Rafugen Dental is surging in clinical settings, particularly in the Seoul metropolitan area. The product has received favorable reviews, and we continue to receive requests for increased supply.”

The spokesperson added “Cellumed is aggressively marketing to make the dental sector a core business. We aim to expand our market share through stable supply, technological strength, and the launch of new high-efficacy products.”