JW Pharmaceutical obtains patent for homegrown gout treatment in Europe

South Korean drug company JW Pharmaceutical said Monday that a patent regarding its gout treatment URC102 has been granted by the European Patent Office.

URC102 is a potential inhibitor of human uric acid transporter 1, which JW Pharmaceutical is developing as a potential treatment for patients with gout. It completed the phase 2b clinical trial in March, which involved 171 patients with gout here.

According to the firm, the patent includes manufacturing measures for URC102 and a key intermediate for the gout treatment. It plans to take steps to obtain patents in each individual countries in Europe.

JW Pharmaceutical has sent patent applications for URC102 in some 20 countries to date, including South Korea, the US, Japan and China, based on the safety and efficacy tests that the company finished in South Korea earlier this year. Aside from Europe, it has obtained patent registrations in Australia and South Africa.

It will also push ahead with technology transfer deals for URC102 with global pharmaceutical companies, the firm said. In 2019, JW Pharmaceutical inked a technology transfer deal with China-based Simcere Pharmaceutical, granting rights to develop and commercialize URC102 in the Chinese market.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)