HanAll Biopharma set to expand presence in Asia with autoimmune treatment

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Business

Sat, September 23, 2023 | 07:57

Bio

HanAll Biopharma set to expand presence in Asia with autoimmune treatment

Posted : 2022-07-11 16:58

Updated : 2022-07-12 10:31

A HanAll Biopharma researcher conducts experiments in this photo provided by the company, Monday. Courtesy of HanAll Biopharma

By Baek Byung-yeul

Local biotech company HanAll Biopharma is seeking to expand its presence in Asia, as the company is set to begin Phase 3 clinical testing of its autoimmune disease treatment candidate in Japan in the second half of 2022, the company said Monday.

"HanAll plans to deliver innovative therapy to patients around the world by launching a Phase 3 clinical trial in MG in Japan in the second half of this year. As HanAll holds the rights to batoclimab outside its region including Korea, Japan and Oceania, the company's aim to introduce a global blockbuster into the market is not building castles in the air," a company spokesperson said.

MG stands for myasthenia gravis. It is a rare, severe autoimmune disorder of the neuromuscular junction characterized by weakness in muscles. In the U.S. around 65,000 patients are suffering from the disease.

The current therapies are limited due to inadequate efficacy, safety issues and limited access to the therapy and HanAll's global licensed partner Immunovant recently initiated a Phase 3 clinical trial of HL161, also known as batoclimab, an autoimmune disease treatment candidate in patients with MG in the U.S.

HanAll said the Japanese market also raises expectations over the scheduled clinical trial of the batoclimab candidate. The MG market in Japan is expected to reach $300 million with approximately 20,000 patients.

"HanAll plans to expand indication of batoclimab to other autoimmune diseases, after starting the Phase 3 pivotal study in Japan," the company added.

The company's other global license partner Harbour BioMed is working on commercializing the batoclimab candidate in the Chinese market.

"We believe batoclimab proves our capability to bring innovation to the current science, despite the difficulties that may arise in the development process," the company spokesperson said. "We will continue to investigate through uncharted areas to provide treatment options to patients with intractable diseases by developing innovative treatments."

baekby@koreatimes.co.kr