(Health Korea News / Changyong Lee) B&C Korea announced on the 26th that it signed a strategic equity investment agreement with Denmark’s Lophora, which is developing a new drug to treat second-generation psychedelic depression.
According to BNC Korea, existing psychoactive drugs bind to 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C receptors in addition to 5-HT2A receptors, causing problems in terms of efficacy and side effects. On the other hand, ‘LPH-5’, which is being developed by Lopora, is an upgraded second-generation antidepressant drug with excellent efficacy due to its high selective binding ability to the 5-HT2A receptor, long action time, and greatly reduced side effects. This is the background to BNC Korea’s strategic equity investment in Lopora.
With this contract, B&C Korea invested $1 million (KRW 1.5 billion) in Lopora and held a stake of approximately 4.9%. Lopora holds the worldwide business rights to develop and commercialize new drugs for the treatment of depression using the LPH-5 substance invented by Jesper Kristensen, a professor at the University of Copenhagen and CSO of Lopora.
An official from BNC Korea said, “Existing psychoactive drugs are old drugs like psilocybin, LSD, and DMT, and do not have patent protection at all, while LPH-5 is a new drug and can be protected for 20 years, making it a highly valuable drug. “Drugs,” he explained.
According to a report published by market research firm S&S Insider, the global depression treatment market is expected to grow by 7.7% each year to approximately KRW 27 trillion in 2023, reaching approximately KRW 52 trillion in 2032.
Market research firm Research & Markets predicted that the market for psychoactive drugs in the global depression treatment market will grow from KRW 2.5 trillion in 2024 to KRW 8.9 trillion in 2034.
Lopora CEO Bo Tandrup said, “Global Big Pharma and psychotropic drug developers are showing high interest in LPH-5, a second-generation psychoactive drug treatment new drug for depression,” and “Phase 1 clinical trials have been successfully completed.” “Once completed, there is a high probability that it will be out-licensed globally, and if successful, we expect to be able to generate high out-licensing profits,” he said.
CEO Tandrup said, “We are pleased to have BNC Korea join us as a strategic alliance investor,” and added, “If the license out is successful, BNC Korea may receive a certain portion of the license out profits as a dividend as a shareholder.”
Wan-gyu Choi, CEO of BNC Korea, said, “We are pleased to have made a strategic equity investment in Denmark’s Lopora,” adding, “Through this equity investment, as a shareholder, we will receive profit dividends and the right to develop and commercialize LPH-5, which has high growth and market value in the future. “It is meaningful to secure it,” he said.
Copyright © Health Korea News Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited
Source: www.hkn24.com
