`Bilirubin` to eliminate inflammation... Vilix, the world`s first pharmaceutical drug
Bilirubin, which causes jaundice in humans, has been in the spotlight as an anti-inflammatory substance since the 1930s. The phenomenon that rheumatoid inflammation disappears when a patient with rheumatoid arthritis suffers from jaundice was discovered by Philip Hench, a professor at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Attempts to drug bilirubin have been made, but have failed each time. This is because of the insoluble nature of bilirubin in water.
The anti-war drama was written by a domestic bio company, Vilix. It was the first successful drug substanceization by dissolving bilirubin in water. Kim Myung-rip, CEO of Vilix (pictured), said on the 16th, 'We will start the preclinical stage this year, non-clinical, and release the world's first new drug using bilirubin by 2025.'
By combining polyethylene glycol (PEG) and bilirubin, Vilix opened the way for pharmaceuticals. 'PEGylated bilirubin' combined with PEG, a hydrophilic polymer, is easily soluble in water. This means that it can be dissolved in the body and absorbed into organs.
The disease that Villix first targeted is ischemic reperfusion injury that occurs in organ transplant myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass surgery, and stroke. Myocardial infarction occurs after the patient has undergone stenting. If the blocked blood vessel is pierced with a fine wire mesh, a large amount of blood is supplied to the stopped heart. When this happens, the amount of free radicals suddenly increases and the heart muscle is damaged. Bilirubin, which has an antioxidant effect, removes free radicals and minimizes damage to the heart muscle.
Ischemic reperfusion injury is a common occurrence during organ transplantation. Although such a problem is less common with living transplants, brain-dead transplants are prone to tissue damage and inflammation due to free radicals due to the time the organs are transported. CEO Kim said, “Even though organ transplantation is active in the United States, there is still no treatment that can solve these side effects. It is also a good thing for Vilixen that Enzion Biomedica, which was targeting this market by using hepatocyte growth factor receptor (c-MET), failed to prove efficacy in phase 3 clinical trials at the end of last year.
CEO Kim said, “The number of kidney transplant patients in the United States reaches 22,000 per year, and the market for treatment of ischemic reperfusion injury that occurs during transplantation is worth 700 billion won per year. said
Vilix plans to start full-scale clinical trials next year. CEO Kim said, “It will undergo a phase 1 clinical trial early next year and a phase 2 clinical trial in 2024, and then receive conditional approval in 2025 and introduce it to the market.”
It has the potential to be used as a drug delivery system (DDS). When bilirubin is combined with PEG, it turns into a round ball with an empty center. It can be injected into the human body by putting an anticancer drug inside it. Villix plans to collaborate with Holosmedic, a developer of intractable cancer treatment, to speed up the discovery of drug candidates for 18 types of cancer, including ovarian cancer.
Vilix was recently selected as a non-clinical project support project worth 2 billion won by the National New Drug Development Project. It stood shoulder to shoulder with Hanmi Pharm, Lego Chem Bio, Jeil Pharm, and Peptron. At the end of last year, it attracted 17.5 billion won of Series A investment, 3.5 billion won more than originally planned.
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