JW Pharma receives 1st overseas patent for its hair loss treatment

JW Pharmaceutical, a drug company based in South Korea, has received its first patent for a hair loss treatment that is currently in development. This marks the first time that its candidate drug has been patented overseas. JW received on Monday a patent for JW0061, its Wnt-targeted hair loss treatment, from Russia's Federal Service for Intellectual Property.

The patent covers a new heterocyclic inducer of the Wnt signaling pathway, including its base or isomer, and compositions containing it as an active ingredient. JW0061 is the first substance to be patented. JW has also applied for patents in over ten countries, including the United States, Europe, Japan and China.

The company presented in Nov. last year the first preclinical results for JW0061 at the Wnt 2022 conference held in Japan. According to the presentation, JW0061 directly binds to the GFRA1 protein in human hair dermal papilla cells, revealing a new mechanism of action that activates the Wnt signaling pathway. This is the first reported case of a low-molecular-weight drug that elucidates the mechanism of hair growth.

JW is currently conducting good laboratory practice (GLP) non-clinical toxicity evaluation with the aim of starting clinical trials of JW0061 in the first half of 2024. It is also conducting joint research with leading dermatologists in the United States.

"A Russian patent registration is significant in recognizing JW0061 as a source technology for candidate drugs in the overseas market," said a spokesperson for JW. He added that his company plans to develop JW0061 as a new innovative drug that supplements or replaces existing hair loss treatments.

Write to Ji-Hyun Lee at bluesky@hankyung.com