South Korea’s pharmaceutical products manufacturer Huons Co. said on Tuesday that it signed an agreement with Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, the country’s national chemical research institute, on technical transfer of liver and heart failure treatments and enhanced joint research for development of innovative novel drugs.

Under the agreement signed on Monday, Huons will receive technology transfer of proteolytic induction agents for development of liver disease treatment. The latest accord is an extension to a joint research agreement signed between the two entities in June last year, on liver disease treatment using proteolysis-targeting chimaera. Huons and Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology developed a potential inducer that resolves protein, showing effectiveness on the treatment of curing liver disease based on a year of joint research. Huons won exclusive rights to the inducing agent.

The number of people suffering from liver disease – including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, liver fibrosis, and cirrhosis – has been on a rise in recent years due to growing aging population and changes in lifestyle. However, there have been no evident treatments so far.

Huons, with Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, is hoping to contribute to improving people’s health through joint research and development of targeted treatment for liver disease.

The Korean pharmaceutical products maker will also receive technical transfer of a novel compound targeting heart failure disease developed by the chemical institute. The novel compound, in particular, targets patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction who account for almost half of hospitalized patients due to cardiac insufficiency. The disease has a fatality rate of more than 50 percent in five years as patients are not able to pump blood around the body due to malfunctioning of the heart.

By Kim Byung-ho and Lee Eun-joo

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]