Bukwang Pharma eyes partners for diabetes, Parkinson therapies
[THE INVESTOR] Bukwang Pharmaceutical said on March 14 that it held meetings with some 40 companies to discuss potential license deals for its new therapies and drug pipeline expansion on the sidelines of a pharma conference in Netherlands.
While attending the BIO-Europe Spring, taking place on March 12-14 in Amsterdam, the Korean drug maker sought out partners for JM-010, a drug candidate to treat levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease patients developed by Bukwang and its Denmark-based subsidiary Contera Pharma, as well as diabetes therapy MLR-1023.
John Hansen, CEO of Contera Pharma, which was acquired by the Korean firm in 2014, also joined the meetings to seek out-licensing deals forJM-010.
JM-010, which is set to enter phase 2 clinical studies, was granted orphan drug designation by Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in January 2016.
MLR-1023 is an oral insulin signal-potentiating agent, which is designed to lower blood glucose levels by activating the Lyn kinase that controls insulin signaling pathways. The company plans to complete phase 2b clinical trials by the end of this year.
By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)