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“KM-819” from Kainos Medicine (CEO Lee Ki-seop), a new drug developer specializing in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, was selected as one of the most promising Parkinson’s disease treatment brands and companies in a report recently released by Global Data, a global market research firm.
According to Global Data, a total of 654 drugs are being developed for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Of these, approximately 163 drugs, or 25%, are in the clinical trials. Small molecule research accounted for the largest proportion of projects in development (57%), followed by cell therapy (41 projects) and gene therapy (36 projects).
Among these, Global Data selected drugs from the United States and Japan, including KM-819 developed by Kainos Medicine of South Korea, as the “top 11 players”.
Kainos Medicine is conducting clinical trials of KM-819, a Parkinson’s disease drug candidate with an innovative mechanism of action. Unlike other existing Parkinson’s treatments, it is a new type of drug for the degenerative brain and nervous system that performs dual functions at the same time.
The first function of KM-819 is to suppress the hyperactivity of FAF1 (Fas-Associated Factor1), which is involved in the death of dopamine-secreting neurons, and to protect nerve cells. The second function is to inhibit the aggregation of α-synuclein and protect neurons by activating autophagy, which prevents the accumulation of α-synuclein. According to research to date, KM-819 is the only new drug candidate that targets both of these factors in Parkinson’s disease and at the same time protects nerve cells.
After demonstrating the safety of KM-819 in healthy volunteers, Kainos Medicine entered Phase 2, Part 1b clinical trials in Parkinson’s disease patients. Up to this stage, the efficacy and safety of the drug have been highly evaluated, which is an important achievement that may diversify the treatment options for Parkinson’s disease.
According to the report, the market size of Parkinson’s disease treatment in the 7 major markets recorded $3.7 billion (approximately KRW 5 trillion) in 2022. It also predicted that the market size will reach $6.3 billion (approximately KRW 8.4 trillion) by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9%.
An official from Kainos Medicine said, “Thanks to this announcement from Global Data, we now feel the high expectations for our new drug not only domestically, but also globally”. He also said, “Our goal is to provide a better life for Parkinson’s patients by rapidly advancing the KM-819 clinical trial and achieving successful results.”
Meanwhile, Kainos Medicine has decided to collaborate with the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), an American non-profit Parkinson’s disease research foundation, in the development of KM-819. The MJFF plans to provide support in three areas: the clinical site selection process, patient recruitment, and biomarker development.