Daewoong Pharmaceutical said Thursday that it has presented the trial results for two of its new drug candidates at the American College Of Rheumatology.

The two new drug candidates are DWN12088, a fibrosis treatment, and DWP213388, a Dual target autoimmune therapy.

The company gave a presentation on the DWN12088’s efficacy on cells and animals and the validation of target proteins for scleroderma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

DWN12088 has a mechanism that strongly inhibits fibrosis by selectively reducing only Prolyl-tRNA syntheses activities, as it contributes to the production of collagen and fibrogenic factors.

Daewoong is developing the candidate as a first-in-class treatment for fibrosis and has been conducting targeted research on heart disease.

The company also revealed the first pre-clinical trial results for DWP213388 at the conference.

'DWP213388' inhibits interleukin-2-inducible T-cell kinase (ITK) and Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), which are enzymes that have significant effects on the development of T cells and the disease-causing autoantibody-producing B-cell, to increase efficacy and minimize side effects.

The results presented at the conference showed that when compared to the other BTK inhibitors currently under development in Korea the company’s drug candidate had five times better efficacy in two animal clinical trials. The substance also showed bone-protecting effects.

According to the company, the study confirmed the possibility of providing a high quality of life for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and various autoimmune diseases.

“The results of the studies demonstrate that the efficacy of the drug on rheumatic diseases,” said Park Joon-seok, director of Daewoong’s New Drug Research Center. “The company will focus on research and development of the two drugs to provide various treatment options for patients suffering from related diseases.”

Daewoong plans to conduct global phase 1 clinical trial for both drugs from next year.