LegoChem BioScience licensed in two Covid-19 treatment candidates from the Center for Convergent Research of Emerging Virus Infection (CEVI) project group on Tuesday.

Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Institut Pasteur Korea, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, and Korea Institute of Toxicology developed the candidate substance through the CEVI project run by the National Research Council of Science & Technology.

“The CEVI group has been developing the candidate even before the Covid-19 pandemic to cope with other coronavirus variants,” the company said. “The substance is versatility applicable to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), causing Covid-19, as well as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus.”

Researchers have also already secured excellent drug efficacy and toxicity data through animal testing, the company added.

LegoChem Bio stressed that the target compounds are 12 times more effective than remdesivir, which recently received approval as a Covid-19 treatment, expecting the candidates to cope with various mutations in the future.

The company plans to conduct additional non-clinical trials and plans to enter into clinical trials as soon as possible.

“When judged based on animal test results, candidates introduced through this technology transfer are likely to be developed as therapeutic agents that are effective against various viruses that have undergone mutation,” LegoChem Bioscience CEO Kim Yong-joo said.