Taiwan makes headway in new drug development

PharmaEssentia, a Taipei-based pharmaceutical company founded by a group of Taiwanese-American scientists in 2003, has received Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from U.S. and Canadian authorities for its third-generation interferon drug candidate P1101 (PEG-P-IFN-alpha-2b) , the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) official said.

The drug, which treats hepatitis B and C and is particularly long-acting compared to the two other pegylated-interferon drugs currently on the market, will begin phase 1 clinical trials in both Canada and Taiwan later this year.

It had already received IND approval from Taiwan's Department of Health in June.

Meanwhile, the MOEA official said GlycoNex Inc. has successfully developed a potential therapeutic drug for colorectal cancer, known as fully human monoclonal antibody GNX-8.

GlycoNex Inc. has recently signed an agreement with the Japanese pharmaceutical company Otsuka Pharmaceutical for technology transfer, the official said.

Once the potential colorectal cancer treatment drug is successfully marketed, GlycoNex will be able to rake in about US$500 million (NT$16.2 billion) in royalties annually.

According to GlycoNex Chairman Tong H. Chang, the new drug is expected to fully attack cancerous cells without hurting healthy cells. Attracted by the drug's promising global market potential, Otsuka has decided to complete follow-up clinical trials.

As development of biotechnology and new pharmaceuticals entails high risks and requires a heavy capital infusion and a long period of time, the official said, the MOEA has supported many development projects through the government-funded Development Center for Biotechnology.

For instance, he said, the MOEA put up NT$57 million between 2003 and 2006 to subsidize the development of GlycoNex's cancer treatment drug and has contributed NT$53 million since 2006 to help PharmaEssentia develop its hepatitis B/C drug.

In addition, the official said, the DCB has set up world-class facilities -- including a GPCR (G-Protein Coupled Receptors) Drug Discovery Facility and the Center of Toxicology and Preclinical Sciences -- to help local pharmaceutical companies research and develop new drugs.

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