Hanmi Pharmaceutical said that it has confirmed the efficacy of LAPSGLP-2 Analog, a short bowel syndrome treatment, and published the study results during the 2021 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN).

LAPSGLP-2 Analog is a long-acting biopharmaceutical that applies with Hanmi's proprietary platform technology Lapscovery.

"It the world's first innovative treatment that only requires the patient to administer the drug once a month through its long-lasting and excellent villous cell growth-promoting effect," the company said. "The candidate also received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency in 2019."

The drug also received rare pediatric disease (RPD) and fast track designation by the FDA in 2020 and 2021, the company added. The company is currently conducting a global phase 2 clinical trial in the U.S. and Germany.

According to the study's results published this time, the growth and absorption of the small intestine increased in the group administered with LAPSGLP-2 Analog compared to the model taking the only treatment for short bowel syndrome that needs daily or weekly administration.

Also, when the company switched from the existing daily treatment to LAPSGLP-2 Analog, the company confirmed even better efficacy.

"We are delighted to see the possibility that LAPSGLP-2 Analog can provide better treatment options than existing treatments," Hanmi Pharmaceutical CEO Kwon Se-chang said. "To improve the quality of life of patients with short bowel syndrome, we will do our best to speed up global clinical trials and accelerate commercialization."

Short bowel syndrome occurs in about 24.5 out of 100,000 newborns, severely affecting the growth of children and adolescents, and the survival rate is also very low, with less than 50 percent.

The illness requires artificial nutrition supplementation, such as total intravenous nutrition, for a long time, which significantly affects patients' quality of life.