Kobiolabs gets US patent for oral obesity drug candidate

Kobiolabs Co., a South Korean microbiome-based new drug development company, announced on Wednesday that it has a patent for Roseburia intestinalis KBL982, its oral obesity drug candidate.

KBL982 is a new drug candidate that the company is developing through the South Korean National New Drug Development Program.

The company secured KBL982 through its Smartiom platform for the development of microbiome therapeutics.

In animal studies, KBL982 was shown to reduce hepatic fat accumulation, protect the gut barrier, and restore gut microbiome imbalance.

KBL982-based obesity drugs are expected to offer specific benefits, including regulation of glucose metabolism, gut barrier protection, stimulation of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion, and restoration of gut microbiota imbalance caused by high-fat diets.

Kobiolabs aims to develop a fundamental obesity treatment that does not have the side effect of weight regain, which is often associated with GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Write to In-Hyuk Park at hyuk@hankyung.com