Yuhan begins Phase 2 trial of allergy drug Resigercept in CSU patients
Yuhan said Feb. 19 it is moving forward with a multinational Phase 2 clinical trial of its allergy-disease treatment Resigercept in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU).
The company registered key details of the Phase 2 plan on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Institutes of Health clinical trial database. The study is designed to evaluate safety and efficacy after 12 weeks of dosing with Resigercept or placebo in 150 CSU patients. The primary endpoint is the change from baseline to week 12 in UAS7, a seven-day urticaria activity score.
Resigercept previously received Phase 2 IND approval from South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in October 2025, followed by IND approval from Chinese regulators in February this year. The trial is expected to run in South Korea as well as Japan, China, Bulgaria and Poland. The company expects the last patient to complete the study in July 2027 and aims to produce key results in the fourth quarter of that year.
JW Lee Jong Ho Foundation seeks nominees for 2026 JW Seongcheon Award
JW Lee Jong Ho Foundation said Feb. 19 it is accepting nominations for the 2026 JW Seongcheon Award.
The award was established in 2012 by the late honorary chairman Lee Jong Ho to carry on the “respect for life” philosophy of Seongcheon Lee Gi-seok, the founder of JW Pharmaceutical. It honors medical professionals each year for notable social contributions and service.
Nominations will be accepted through March 31. Applicants can download a recommendation form from the foundation’s website and submit it by email, or apply through an online link in the website notice. The foundation said it expanded nomination channels beyond institutional recommendations, allowing patients and fellow medical workers to apply as well.
Eligible nominees include licensed medical professionals authorized by the health minister — including physicians, dentists, practitioners of traditional Korean medicine, nurses and midwives — as well as medical organizations. Selection includes document screening, on-site review and a final comprehensive review, with the board making the final decision.
Celltrion says post-hoc analysis supports Remsima SC in IBD patients after treatment gaps
Celltrion said Feb. 19 it will participate in the 2026 European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) congress to showcase its clinical experience and portfolio in autoimmune diseases.
Celltrion said it will be the only South Korean company operating a standalone promotional booth at ECCO and will hold academic activities including a symposium and poster presentations related to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatments.
On the first day of the congress, the company plans to present new results for the first time from a post-hoc analysis of a Phase 3 study of Remsima SC (infliximab; U.S. brand name Zymfentra) in patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
According to the data, most patients who had stopped infliximab intravenous (IV) treatment and then received placebo for at least 16 weeks showed a rapid recovery of clinical response after receiving 240 mg of infliximab subcutaneous (SC). Efficacy and safety remained stable through the 102-week follow-up period.
The symposium will focus on “Improving patient care through infliximab SC: clinical review and discussion,” including treatment-optimization strategies based on real-world clinical data. Expert sessions at the booth will cover the clinical meaning of very long-term outcomes after switching from IV to SC, the need for combination therapy with TNF inhibitors in IBD treatment, and implications of switching to infliximab SC based on real-world data from Northern Europe.
HLB Life Science signs MOU with Bellabel Bio to develop ingredients from native plants
HLB Life Science said Feb. 19 it signed a memorandum of understanding with Bellabel Bio, a company specializing in functional-ingredient development, to strengthen R&D and commercialization competitiveness for functional ingredients based on native plants in South Korea.
The companies said the agreement aims to build an end-to-end cooperation framework — from discovering native plant-based materials and verifying efficacy to product development and industrialization — by combining their research capabilities and technical infrastructure. They plan to cooperate on joint R&D projects, academic information sharing related to functional ingredients, technical consulting and personnel exchanges.
Research into functional ingredients using native plants has drawn attention as part of efforts to foster a sustainable bio and health care industry. The companies said native plants can also support differentiation strategies in global markets because they are resources adapted to local environments.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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