6 days ago
Daewoong's weekly weight-loss patch hits record absorption in human trial
Daewoong Pharmaceutical and Daewoong Therapeutics said Wednesday their proprietary semaglutide microneedle patch achieved over 80 percent bioavailability compared to injectables, in a pilot pharmacokinetic study on humans.
The study, the first human trial of its kind, applied Daewoong Therapeutics' proprietary drug delivery platform, Clopam, to a semaglutide microneedle patch. With 70 healthy adults, the trial compared the blood concentration of semaglutide delivered via the patch to that of a subcutaneous injection, adjusting for dosage differences.
While existing microneedle patches with the same ingredient have shown about 30 percent bioavailability, Daewoong's patch demonstrated more than 80 percent -- the highest achievability among similar products -- and around 160 times higher absorption than oral semaglutide tablets.
The results also indicated that the patch can maintain stable blood concentration for a week, enabling a weekly, high-dose formulation.
According to Grand View Research, the global weight loss medication market is valued at $15.9 billion and is projected to reach $60.5 billion by 2030. Industry experts say that drug delivery technologies offering higher bioavailability and improved patient convenience will be a key factor in shaping the market.
Microneedle patch technology, which addresses the limitations of both painful injections and low-efficiency oral drugs, is seen as a potential game changer. Additionally, it also has the advantage of higher cost efficiency, and stability, compared to other methods which require cold temperatures for storage.
'This study proves our ability to deliver a high dose of semaglutide via a single weekly patch — a breakthrough beyond current obesity treatment patches,' said Kang Bok-ki, CEO of Daewoong Therapeutics. 'It's a major step toward global licensing and commercialization.'
Daewoong Pharmaceutical CEO Park Seong-soo added, 'Overcoming the high-dose delivery barrier marks a significant milestone. We will expand microneedle applications to other biologics and lead the global platform market.'
