Daewoong Pharmaceutical said that it has presented the research results of DWP213388, an autoimmune disease treatment candidate, during the annual conference of 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) held in Orlando, Fla.

Daewoong headquarters in Samsung-dong, southern Seoul.

DWP213388 is an oral therapeutic agent that selectively inhibits interleukin-2-inducible T-cell kinase (ITK) and Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), which are targets for immune cell activation.

Unlike conventional treatments, which target T or B-cell inhibition, the treatment is the world's first innovative drug that simultaneously targets ITK and BTK, the company said.

In the case of graft versus host disease (GvHD), when a patient undergoes bone marrow transplantation, T cells from the transplanted bone marrow are generally not accepted and are excessively activated. The activated T cells attack existing cells and can lead to other diseases.

"Early acute GvHD is known to be caused by excessive activation of T cells, while late chronic GvHD is known to cause tissue damage due to B cell activation as well as T cells," the company said. "However, DWP213388 was found to inhibit such T and B cells in cell experiments effectively."

In detail, in a GvHD-induced mice model, the company confirmed that the treatment suppressed symptoms and improved survival rates at a 10mg dose per kilogram. Also, the drug showed a superior effect on rheumatoid arthritis, a representative autoimmune disease, as well as additional protection against bone damage at a low dose compared to conventional treatments and treating cytomegalovirus, it added.

"We will contribute to improving the quality of life of patients by leading the development of global new drugs for patients with GvHD and autoimmune diseases, which lack effective therapeutic drugs," said Park Joon-seok, director of Daewoong's New Drug Research Center. "Our company aims to enter clinical trials by the end of 2020.

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